


You Smell Like

by mystic_believexx



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alpha Harry, Beta Liam, Beta Niall, Beta Zayn, Bonding, Bottom Louis, Dominance, Friends to Lovers, Human Louis, Human pack member, Kid - Freeform, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, Mentions of blood/injuries, Minor Character Death, Minor Injuries, Multi, Not that they realise that at first, Pack Bonding, Pack Dynamics, Pack friendships, Possessive Behaviour, Protective Alpha, Scent Marking, Scenting, Soulmates AU, Teen Wolf like elements at times, Top Harry, Werewolf AU, Werewolves, Who happens to be Harry's mate, human alpha, you won't regret reading this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-28
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2018-04-28 15:19:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 142,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5095511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mystic_believexx/pseuds/mystic_believexx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>For her part, Jay took everything in her stride, barely batting an eyelid when Louis came into the kitchen the night Harry left and said, “I seem to have accidentally become the pack’s Alpha”.</i> </p><p>Ever since Harry left town, Louis’ found himself with the role of pack Alpha, despite being human. So he can’t wait to hand over the reins when Harry returns. Except, it’s not quite that simple…</p><p>OR<br/>The one where Louis is the Alpha’s mate and everyone is aware of it except for Louis and Harry. Go figure!</p><p> </p><p>  <i>Please note: I am not authorising any translations for this fic at the moment so please respect that. Thank you! xx</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> I just noticed recently that I have quite a number of subscribers to my account so I thought I'd write this as a thank you! I quite like this fic so let me know what you think! <3 xx
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** This work is entirely fictional. The plot and characters are created by me and are in no way a representation of any real life individuals. No offence is intended.

****

**A huge thank you to Lexy (@random_lovex) for this gorgeous cover art! <3 xx**

 

 

The dream was the same as always, one of Louis’ most painful memories playing in his head on repeat.

_“Don’t do this, Harry”, Louis would later be embarrassed by how desperate he sounded but at the moment, he didn’t care. “The pack needs you!”_

_“Lou…” Harry winced, as if he were in physical pain, moving closer to Louis until he was crowding the shorter boy against the kitchen counter as he subconsciously took in his grounding scent._

_Neither of them noticed the action though, both too keyed up about the issue at hand. Louis knew the pack would show up soon for the emergency meeting Harry had called so their privacy for this conversation was limited._

_“Hazza, just don’t leave. Please stay”._

_“I can’t”, the words sounded as if they had been punched from Harry’s body against his will. The werewolf closed his eyes and stepped back, resuming his earlier pacing along the kitchen floor._

_His hands reached to tug on his hair again and the normally glossy curls were now frizzy from the repeated motion._

_“Look, I know you must be feeling…”, Louis paused, amended his statement because he didn’t **know**. Not really. He’d never been in the same situation before. _

_Louis had been there for Harry when his Mum had been killed by a rogue wolf and left Harry to take her place as Alpha, he’d been there as the werewolf learnt the ropes, been there through the tough times but this was something he’d never faced before._

_“But we can..we’ll work something out. We’ll-”_

_“For fuck’s sake, Louis! Don’t you get it?” Harry snarled but he made no move to step towards Louis._

_Even now, surrounded by a haze of fear and anger and guilt, his wolf knew not to hurt the human boy._

_“I’m going to be a father! I can’t run a pack when I have a child to look after! I can’t-”_

_He cut off with a sob and Louis automatically moved towards him. He held out his arms, letting Harry fold himself into them the way he always did when he needed comfort despite being taller than Louis. It was a habit that remained from their childhood days, when Harry was still just a pup._

_The werewolf buried his nose against Louis’ neck, taking in the comforting scent of his skin and Louis felt the tension slowly slip out of Harry’s body as he ran a hand through the man’s curls._

_He didn’t mean to say it, not really. He hadn’t intended to let it slip out but the words fell out anyway._

_“Hazza, don’t leave me”._

_He felt the werewolf stiffen in his arms and could have bitten his own tongue out. Stupid lack of a brain to mouth filter!_

_It was ridiculous to ask Harry to prioritise their friendship over his own **child**! It wasn’t that Louis had anything against the unborn baby but the mother…well. Louis and Taylor had never gotten along and a part of him couldn’t help but feel like Harry was choosing her over him and that was…ridiculous. An utterly ridiculous thought!_

_Louis opened his mouth to apologise for what he had said when Harry’s arms suddenly tightened around him._

_“Louis, I’ll come back”, Harry whispered against the skin of his neck, nuzzling closer, which strangely gave Louis a sense of comfort. “It’s not forever. I promise I’ll come back”._

_“Of course you will”, Louis forced himself to say with more confidence than he felt and, as if picking up on this, Harry’s arms tightened around his waist even further._

_“I’ll miss you, Lou”._

_It was both a goodbye and an apology. And Louis had no choice but to accept it._

 

Louis woke up with a gasp, reaching up to wipe the tears away from his eyes. The memory always came back to him with full clarity, especially this close to the full moon. He didn’t understand why. Maybe he never would.

Harry hadn’t kept in contact with anyone. Not with Louis, not with the pack but they still held onto that promise he made. That he would come back.

One day.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

_2 years ago_

Louis had known, of course that the day Harry found out his one night stand had gotten pregnant, everything would change. What he hadn’t thought about was how the Alpha would put his duties as a future dad above that of the pack he had been raised to lead. Louis had cried when Harry finally admitted that he had decided to move to London where his baby’s mother resided.

He wasn’t the only one who protested the change.

“Why can’t she come here?” Nick, who liked to consider himself Harry’s favourite Beta much to Liam's chagrin, asked.

This was one of the rare times Louis and Nick agreed on a matter!

“Taylor and I aren’t bonded”, Harry explained, “So the baby won’t be accepted as part of my pack as long as she belongs to a different pack”.

“Couldn’t you just ask her to be part of our pack then?” Liam asked, trying to be diplomatic.

Louis tensed and Harry half turned towards him, as if sensing his discomfort at the notion. Before the Alpha could say a word though, Niall, Zayn, Jesy and Perrie simultaneously growled at Liam to, “Shut up!”

Nick sidled closer to Louis and gave his shoulder a quick squeeze, which was…weird. They were all glaring at Liam though, Harry included, so Louis was obviously not the only one unhappy with the thought of him bonding with Taylor.

Liam exchanged a glance with Zayn and his eyes suddenly widened, as if he had realised something of major importance.

“Oh shit! I didn’t mean to bond-fuck! Sorry, Alpha. Ignore me”, he mumbled, face turning red with embarrassment as a few of the pack members snickered.

Louis raised an eyebrow at Harry who returned an equally confused gaze. Harry opened his mouth to question them and find out what was going on that him and Louis weren’t aware about but he was distracted by Aidan.

“Alpha, are you sure she’s not…lying? About the child”. He kept his eyes on the ground as if terrified of Harry’s reaction.

Harry though, only gulped and shook his head.

“No. I…I met with her last week to make sure. I could smell the baby and…well, the scent was of family”.

“But can’t you stay here and visit them in the weekends?” Niall, the youngest wolf in the pack, asked.  
Harry sighed, sounding pained but he still shook his head.

“I don’t want to do what my dad did to me. I don’t want my kid to wonder if his father hates him because he’s never there”, Harry replied and Louis had known then that his mind was made up. That Harry would be moving and leaving the pack for an undetermined period of time, no matter what anyone said.

“Liam”, Harry turned to his Beta and second-in-command, “You’re responsible for keeping the pack on track with their trainings”.

Liam nodded, a small smile appearing on his face. “I won’t let you down, Alpha”.

“I know”, Harry chuckled, leaning forward to rub his cheek gently against Liam’s. Every wolf in the room knew it was his way of saying goodbye. Hell, even Louis knew and he was only human!

He watched from the corner as Harry went around to each member of the pack, marking them with his scent for the last time and giving those he was closest to, hugs. Zayn, who was nicknamed ‘The Heartless Warrior’ for his ruthless methods when they went hunting for food (“How could you kill it, Zayn?!” “It’s just a fucking _rabbit_ , Liam!” “It’s eyes reminded me of Bambi’s!”), was sobbing as Harry hugged him, whispering something to the Alpha that Louis couldn’t hear.

Harry finally left Zayn and moved to hug Niall, who sniffled against him but managed to give him a watery smile in return.

Louis looked away as Harry continued saying his goodbyes to the pack. Technically, Louis couldn’t be a part of the pack but he had always been made to feel as if he belonged- ever since he had first met Harry Styles at the age of six and the ten year old had claimed in front of every human and wolf in the school yard that Louis was _his_ friend before proceeding to follow him around like a puppy instead of the Alpha he would one day become.

Now, at the age of 17, Louis wished he could go back to those simpler days. He glanced up when he felt Harry’s shadow fall over him.

“Lou?” Harry whispered, his voice cracking slightly.

Louis held out his arms in silent invitation and Harry immediately slotted against him. The werewolf buried his nose against Louis’ neck, taking in the comforting scent of his skin and Louis felt the tension slowly slip out of Harry’s body as he ran a hand through the man’s curls. A part of his mind registered the fact that the rest of the pack had moved slightly away from them, giving them the illusion of privacy despite being able to hear every word they spoke.

“You’re gonna be an amazing dad”, Louis whispered to him, ignoring the wetness in his own eyes.

He heard Harry whine, a sound full of uncertainty and Louis tightened his arms around the wolf in response.

“Trust me on this”, Louis murmured and finally, Harry pulled back, his green eyes open and trusting, fixed on Louis’ face as if he were the only thing in the world that made sense.

“I do trust you”, Harry’s voice was soft in a way it only ever was with Louis. The Alpha reached up and removed his silver necklace- the one he had worn since he was a pup. It had the Styles coat of arms emblazoned on it, announcing that he was the Alpha of one of the strongest packs in the country.

Louis gave him a bewildered look when Harry pressed it into his hand with a small smile.

“Hold onto it for me”, he murmured, leaning forward to rub his nose along Louis’ jaw before rubbing their cheeks together the way he had with everyone else.

“It will protect you while I’m away”, Harry whispered, low enough that Louis knew it was meant for his ears only. Before he could question the statement or point out that just because he was human did not mean he required _protection_ , Harry was pressing a soft kiss to the top of his head and stepping away.

“Take care of each other”, Harry said softly, eyes falling on each member of the pack in turn. His gaze lingered on Louis a tad longer than the rest. An unfamiliar emotion flickered through them but then, he turned away, shifting seamlessly into his wolf form and running out the door.

Louis watched with a heavy heart as Harry got further and further away until he was finally out of sight. He gave a start when he noticed the pack had gathered around him in a circle, necks tilted in submission.

“Any instructions for tonight, Alpha?” Zayn asked when Louis did nothing but gape at them in astonishment.

“What?” he asked, weakly, “I’m not…that’s Liam! He’s the one-”

Liam shook his head.  
“I’m just here to run training and patrols- the Beta duties”, he nodded towards the necklace Louis still had clutched in his hand. “He left you in charge”.

“I’m not even a proper part of the pack!” Louis protested but all the werewolves growled in disagreement, even Nick who normally went out of his way to antagonise Louis.

“You are!” Liam insisted and his statement was echoed by several others, “You smell like pack. You _are_ pack!”

“You’ve been here longer than I have”, Niall added and…okay, that was true. Niall had been bitten by a rogue seven years ago but he had slotted into the pack quickly, as if he had always belonged there.

“I’m human”, Louis pointed out but the pack didn’t seem to care as they were already pressing up around him, each member trying to scent him by touching any part of his skin they could reach. Louis had seen this before with Harry, each wolf wanting to get their Alpha’s attention. It was strange to be on the receiving end!

“Hope you’re ready to lose sleep”, Zayn chuckled quietly as he rubbed his cheek against Louis’ hair.

Before Louis could ask what he meant, Niall had wrapped an arm around his waist, leaning his head against Louis’ chest until he scratched behind the blonde’s ears the way he knew all the wolves liked. Niall gave a soft murmur of content and murmured, “You smell like home”.

A few growls of agreement rang out and Louis sighed, resigning himself to his fate of being petted for the rest of the night by lonely werewolves. He knew it was a source of comfort for them and, in a way, he felt it too.

After all, they weren’t the only ones who would miss Harry Styles!

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Zayn’s joke about ‘losing sleep’ made a lot of sense when, two days after Harry left, Louis woke up to a group of werewolves clambering over each other in an attempt to fit into his bed with him.

“I had a nightmare”, was Perrie’s only explanation as she snuggled up next to him and made him place a hand on top of her head, kicking Nick when he tried to displace her from her enviable position.

 

One and a half years down the track, he was so used to night time visits from the pack that Louis barely opened an eye when Aidan and Niall snuck into his bedroom at three in the morning.

He didn’t even say a word, simply threw back his blankets so the werewolves could clamber into bed with him, wrapping themselves around him and providing far better insulation than the crappy old heater in his room.

“Thanks, Alpha”, Aidan murmured, attempting to subtly get a whiff of Louis’ apparently comforting scent.

Niall, on the other hand, didn’t even pretend to be subtle, burying his face against Louis’ shoulder blades and inhaling as if all the oxygen in the world was held by Louis. It was heady, in a way, to know that he was needed by the pack. He could never lead them the way Harry did and he relied on Liam to take care of most pack-related things but Louis was still the one every member came to when they couldn’t sleep or felt lonely or were struggling to control their shift during the full moon.

He had, to all extents and purposes, taken on the role of their mother. It was strange how much the thought didn’t bother him!

Since taking up his position as the temporary Alpha of the pack, Louis had noticed other changes in his life too. Barely a month after Harry had left, Louis discovered the Betas were taking turns guarding him against any potential threats.

He had protested it at first, insisting that he didn’t need werewolf body guards but then Liam had calmly pointed out that Louis was technically their Alpha and that as such, the Betas had a responsibility to be by his side. When Jesy had added that it was comforting for their wolves to be near Louis, he had given in with a reluctant sigh, much to their delight.

It had soon become a routine for Zayn to show up in front of Louis’ house in the morning, offering him a ride to school and for Niall and Perrie to flank him during Science and Maths. Liam rarely left Louis’ side during P.E while Jesy, and Cara insisted he sit with them in English. At lunch, any assortment of pack members were likely to join him at his table. Most gave him high-fives or friendly pats on the shoulder, which was their way of seeking contact without displaying too much affection in public. Others, like Niall, just went ahead and cuddled against him.

After school, it wasn’t rare to find Aidan or Nick, the older members of the pack who had already graduated from school, lounging about in his house, playing FIFA and eating everything his Mum had in the pantry. For her part, Jay took everything in her stride, barely batting an eyelid when Louis had come into the kitchen the night Harry had left and said, “I seem to have accidentally become the pack’s Alpha”.

She showed her support in the matter by ordering large amounts of meat from the butchers’ and telling the pack to make themselves at home, even going so far as to give each of the members a spare key to the house, which none of them were too shy to use. Thus the 3am bedroom visits!

 

“The full moon run’s scheduled for tomorrow”, Aidan murmured now, hiding his face against Louis’ shoulder.

“Mhm”, Louis nodded, “Are you ready for it?”

“I think so. Wish you could run with us though”, Aidan replied before yawning and giving into sleep as Louis scratched him behind the ears.

Louis sighed. It was at times like these that he missed Harry the most. Sure, he could comfort the wolves and play with them when they were restless and hold them while they completed their painful shifts during the full moon but he couldn’t run with them the way Harry had always used to do.

He relied on Liam to take care of the pack during the runs but even he knew that was a large amount of responsibility to place on a Beta and Liam always came back after the run, exhausted to the core. That was why Louis had implemented the new rule that they could only run within a 10km radius of the Manor.

When Harry had first left, Liam had suggested moving the weekly meetings to Louis’ place but Louis had insisted on meeting at the Styles Manor as they had always done. He figured the lingering scent of Harry was calming to the werewolves, especially during the full moon when their animal sides were at peak form. He hadn’t asked any of them about it but he had noticed their energy levels were always calmer when they were in the Manor or its neighbouring areas.

Louis stroked the warm metal of Harry’s necklace, which he had worn ever since the Alpha had left, seeking a small semblance of comfort from the thought that one day, Harry would return. Until then, Louis had a pack to run!


	2. II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the lovely comments and kudos! Since MITAM debuted at Number 1 in UK, I figured this was needed as a celebration so here's chapter 2!  
> Hope you all like it <3 xx

_”Why can’t Zayn drive them all over here?” Harry grumbled, refusing to let Louis leave the sofa, where they had curled up to watch The Notebook._

_Louis rolled his eyes, brushing a hand through Harry’s hair, fondly._

_“Because tonight’s the full moon and while **you** apparently get clingy”, Louis chuckled as Harry growled at that, “the Betas get hyped up. The last thing we need are the police knocking on the door because your pack ignored the speed limits!”_

_Harry huffed but let Louis get up._

_“See you in a couple of hours for the run”, Harry added._

_Louis turned around and, just to be difficult, said, “Give me one good reason why I should come? It’s boring to wait at the house while you’re all off hunting or serenading the moon or whatever it is you do”._

_Harry raised an eyebrow, smirked._

_“How thoughtless of me not to ask. Do you have any other plans this Saturday night?”_

_Louis huffed and muttered, “Could do”, petulantly._

_“With?” Harry probed, clearly enjoying how annoyed he was making Louis._

_“With my _friends_!” he answered, glaring daggers at the Alpha, who just hummed thoughtfully._

_“Well, that’s odd because last I checked, all of your friends were werewolves”, he pointed out._

_Louis scowled._

_“Yeah, well…maybe I’ve recently acquired a boyfriend who I have plans with. Hot plans! Plans that don’t involve watching a pack-”_

_He squealed when he suddenly had arms dragging him back onto the sofa and, more specifically, onto the Alpha’s lap._

_“You’re not half as funny as you think, Tomlinson”, Harry growled, playfully nipping at his neck._

_“Please! You find my jokes hilarious”, Louis scoffed back._

_Harry hummed, burying his nose between the juncture of Louis’ neck and shoulder.. Neither of them noticed how the tense set of Harry’s shoulders loosened as he breathed in Louis’ scent, untainted by any others._

_“Do you really mind waiting for us during the run?” Harry asked suddenly, pulling back with a concerned look in his eyes, “I never thought about how boring it must be-”_

_“Hazza”, Louis interrupted the worried Alpha by tugging gently on one of his curls, “I’ve been watching the Styles pack run since we were kids. That seat on the front porch has my name carved on it. Literally. I wouldn’t still be here if it were **that** boring”._

_“But if you wanted to hang with someone outside of the pack-”_

_Louis rested his forehead against Harry’s shoulder, making sure the wolf’s full attention was on him before he murmured, “There’s no place I’d rather be on a Saturday night than with you lot”._

_And, sitting there with Harry’s front pressed against his back, Harry’s arms holding him close as he nuzzled against the shorter boy’s hair, Louis was only mildly surprised to realise he meant it. There was nowhere else he would rather be._

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Louis groaned when he opened the front door and saw the rain. 

“Great”, he muttered, “Perfect!” 

Sure, the werewolves _loved_ running in the rain but Louis normally sat on the front porch of the Manor until they got back so they had the comfort of knowing their Alpha was near. Ever since Harry had left, Louis only showed up to the runs out of a sense of duty for the pack. It was boring enough a task without having to deal with the cold wind and rain.

Not to say that he didn’t care about the pack because he did but it was on full moon nights that he ended up missing Harry the most and waiting for a group of wolves to return knowing that one among their number was missing just…didn’t feel _right_.

Louis pushed the thought aside as a cheerful voice called out, “Tonight’s run’s gonna be ace!” 

Louis was so used to the wolves coming and going from his house as they pleased that he didn’t even jump when the blonde walked out of his kitchen as if he belonged there. At this point, he was starting to suspect that Niall had claimed their guest room as his own on a permanent basis, if the weekly calls from Niall’s mother were anything to go by!

So, Louis was perfectly used to unexpected visits from pack members. He did, however, narrow his eyes when he saw what Niall was carrying.

“Are those _my_ coco pops?” Louis hissed. 

No one was allowed to touch his coco pops. It was the unwritten rule of the house! Or…no, wait. He was pretty certain Perrie once took it upon herself to write it down. That made it an _official_ rule! 

Niall nodded, obliviously continuing to chomp down on another handful of the tasty rice treats. He whined pitifully when his Alpha grabbed the box from him.

“Mine”, Louis told him, firmly, returning the box to the pantry, “Keep your wolfy hands off it, Horan!”

“Fine”, Niall sighed heavily, as if Louis had broken his heart but it only lasted for a few seconds before he was perking up again. “Is it time yet, Alpha? Can we go?”

Louis gave the Beta an incredulous glance before pointedly glancing at the kitchen clock, which announced it was just going on five in the evening.

“The moon rises at eight”, he reminded the excited werewolf, trying to bite back a grin when Niall pouted.

The blonde was already hopping from one foot to the other, excited at just the thought of being able to run freely in the forest.

“Yeah but we have to pick up Zayn and he’s going to take _forever_!” Niall whined.

Louis sucked in a breath as he remembered why this run was especially important for Zayn. It was the first full moon since his eighteenth birthday, which meant he was legally able to bond with Liam. The two of them had been planning the occasion for years.

Louis felt his spirits sag a little as he remembered that not all things were going to go according to plan. Every time Zayn or Liam had mentioned bonding once they were both of age, it had always been Harry they had expected to bless their union. 

Zayn had brought Louis a bunch of books last year to ensure he knew how the tradition worked but he still couldn’t help feeling apprehensive that he would do something wrong. If Harry were here…

Louis shook that thought off. No point crying over the impossible.

“Please can we go already?” Niall whined, softly, bringing Louis’ attention back to him. 

“I suppose we could hang out at the Manor until the run”, Louis finally stated and he barely managed to grab his jacket before Niall dragged him to the car, looking for all the world as if he were an excited toddler.

“Right”, Louis chuckled despite himself as he got into the driver’s seat and sent out a group message, letting everyone know that they were meeting early.

Niall kept extending and retracting his claws, feeling restless until Louis reached over and scratched behind his ears. The younger wolf leant into the touch happily, patiently waiting as Louis finished his texts.

“Okay. So Liam’s going to pick up Aidan and Cara. Nick’s not replying as usual but he’s seen the message so he’ll find a way to get there. We have to gather up Perrie, Jesy and Zayn”, Louis said as he started the car.

He glanced over at Niall, whose was jiggling his foot with excitement, seemingly unable to sit still for more than a few seconds at a time.

“The sooner I get you lot to the Manor, the better”, Louis murmured to himself as he began to drive, smiling as the werewolf beside him gave a happy huff.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Ten minutes later, Louis was pulling up in front of Zayn’s house. 

“Tell him to hurry up, Niall”, Louis told the Beta who immediately jumped out of the car, eager to please.

“And _no_ fighting!” he added, realising a tad too late that sending a hyped up Niall to deal with Zayn was not one of his smarter decisions. 

Louis sat in the car, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel for a few minutes. He groaned when he heard snarls and whines, signalling that his two Betas had managed to ignore his command and gotten into a fight anyway.

A second later, Mrs. Malik ran out of the house with Zayn’s two younger sisters in tow.

“You’re going to have to handle them, love!” she called out to him as she bundled the girls into her car, “We’re late for a ballet recital. Try to stop them before they ruin the carpet again”.

Louis grimaced, remembering how the last one had been replaced after one of the pack’s training sessions, when Zayn had walked into his house without cleaning off the blood from his clothes. Once Mrs. Malik had been convinced that Zayn was not hurt and that it was a normal part of pack training, she had grounded him for a week for acting so “thoughtlessly”. She may be human but Zayn’s mother was more terrifying than any Alpha werewolf!

It had been the main reason behind Louis’ decision to have each member of the pack keep a spare set of clothes at one of the many rooms offered by the Manor. At this point, Niall’s entire wardrobe was distributed between Louis’ house and the Manor.

Louis sighed and stepped out of his car, steeling himself to give his Betas a scolding. He hated having to discipline the wolves, mostly because he still felt that was more Harry’s area than his own but without the Alpha here, the responsibility naturally fell to Louis.

Louis remembered Harry once telling him that werewolves needed a firm, guiding hand. Louis had chuckled back then, raising an eyebrow and reaching out to tug Harry’s hair as he asked, “Does that include the Alpha?”

Harry had hummed softly before pulling Louis closer to breathe in his scent and they had spent the rest of the evening curled together on the sofa, watching re-runs of Friends. God, he missed Harry!

Louis closed his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath to calm himself before pushing open the door and walking into the house.

“Knock it off!” he shouted the moment he saw the two snarling wolves, smiling grimly when their heads whipped towards him and they simultaneously winced at his volume.

“I know the pull of the moon is giving you both a lot of excess energy”, Louis stated, calmly, “But find a way to expend it that doesn’t involve maiming each other…or destroying your mother’s carpet”.

He narrowed his eyes at Zayn who was still snarling at Niall with his claws out.

“I’m talking to you, Malik”.

Zayn whined at the tone, lowering his head and tilting his neck back in submission, unhappy at the thought he had disappointed his Alpha.

Louis sighed. Sometimes he forgot just how much like children the Betas could get this close to the full moon, craving both his approval and contact. It also meant their rational minds receded a bit, enhancing their emotional side.

Zayn, who was normally broody and aloof, became more sensitive during such times while Niall, who had a generally pleasant demeanour, became a lot more hyperactive.

“He started it!” Niall insisted to which Zayn immediately replied, “Did not!”

“Just apologise to each other”, Louis cut across them, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes for a second to gather his thoughts.

Harry, he remembered, would just growl softly at his Betas until they stopped behaving like toddlers but for Louis, not being a werewolf, that wasn’t an option.

When he heard the growls and snarls continue, he used the only leverage he had.

“Apologise to each other or neither of you get to join in the Cuddle after the run”.

The Cuddle, as Louis had dubbed it, was something the pack had always done. Harry used to say it was instinct, their animal sides seeking the closeness that came with pack. All Louis knew was that he always found himself on the floor (or couch if he was especially lucky!), surrounded by werewolves on all sides, who refused to move until the next morning. 

His Mum was accustomed to him sleeping over at the Styles Manor on full moon nights for this very reason. Louis knew his threat had been effective when Zayn and Niall both whined and gave him betrayed looks.

“Apologise”, he stated, infusing his tone with a firmness he knew the Betas would understand as a command from the Alpha.

Zayn and Niall frowned at each other but after a moment, they were hugging, rubbing their cheeks together to grant and receive forgiveness from the other. 

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Louis smiled, relieved that the situation had been resolved, “Time to go then”.

He nodded towards the front door and Niall obeyed instantly, letting out a bark of happiness as he ran out. Zayn waited until Louis had crossed over and brushed a hand over his hair to show the wolf he was forgiven.

“Niall’s just a bit keyed up, yeah?” he reminded Zayn, “You’ve gotta cut him some slack today”.

“I know”, Zayn nodded, shamefaced, “He just wouldn’t give me time to figure out what to do with my hair and I…want to look good”

For Liam, the words went unspoken. Louis couldn’t stop himself from smiling smugly. He had told Harry _years_ ago that Liam and Zayn would end up getting together. Sure, he had meant it more in a “they will become boyfriends and date” way rather than a “they are going to claim each other as mates for life” way but werewolves apparently didn’t do anything by halves! 

A part of him wanted to point out to Zayn that, no matter what he wore, Liam would still drool over him. He was that gone! But this evening, Louis had to act as the Alpha not just as a friend so he pulled Zayn into a warm hug that the wolf immediately relaxed into, breathing in Louis’ comforting scent. 

“You look gorgeous, love. Liam won’t know what hit him”, Louis whispered to him and Zayn made a happy sound at the compliment, “Ready to go?”

He finally managed to get both Betas in the car and drove to Perrie’s place where her and Jesy were waiting, impatiently.

“Finally!” Perrie stated the moment he pulled up, claiming the seat next to Zayn and pulling Jesy down with her, “We were beginning to think you’d forgotten about us!”

“As if I would!” Louis grinned at them, “You two are the only sane ones in this pack”.

Perrie and Jesy’s smiles grew wider while Zayn and Niall made matching, affronted sounds.

“Kidding! I’m kidding”, he soothed them as he turned the car towards Styles Manor, letting the sound of the four Betas’ good-natured arguments flood the car.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The rest of the pack were already waiting in front of the Manor by the time Louis pulled up. 

“Okay”, he chuckled as he saw eight expectant sets of eyes land on him, “I was thinking we could watch a movie and just chill a bit before the run, yeah?”

The Betas nodded their agreement, eagerly following Louis as he took out the keys to the Manor and slotted them into the front door. They waited, as they always did, for him to enter first but as soon as he stepped over the threshold, he was practically pushed aside in the mad scramble for the best seats in the house. 

Louis rolled his eyes and settled himself on a cushion on the floor, letting Nick and Jesy battle it out for the comfiest armchair.

Perrie and Cara had already grabbed spots on the sofa and were looking through the movie collection Harry had left behind for them in the house while Niall plopped down beside Louis, not wanting to be too far from his Alpha until the run. 

Liam sat at the very end of the sofa with Zayn firmly seated in his lap. Out of respect for the rest of the pack, they didn’t kiss in public but tonight, their eager scents were apparently sickening enough as Nick threw a pillow at them.

“Get a fucking room”, he mumbled, rolling his eyes.

Liam glared at the older man but before he could retaliate, Zayn slipped off his lap to plop down next to Louis, a worried look in his eyes.

“You read all the books, right? You know how it works?” he whispered to Louis, a pointless exercise as every wolf in the room could hear him regardless.

Liam let out a soft warning growl, a reminder to Zayn that he was verging on the border of insulting the Alpha but Louis just rolled his eyes. He knew Zayn wasn’t trying to question his authority or make him appear incompetent. He was just worried about the bonding ceremony and wanted it to be perfect.

So, despite having assured the nervous Beta at least fifty times leading up to tonight, Louis took a deep breath and dutifully recited, “You both run with the pack and do your wolf things out there and then you come back to the Manor, where I will be waiting to welcome you home. I have to scent-mark you and accept you both as a bonded pair and then offer you some form of food-pizza in this case because I’m in high school and my weekly allowance is being stretched here!”

Normally, the whole pack chipped in for food and snacks but tonight, as part of the bonding ceremony, the Alpha had to provide the meal. 

“And?” Zayn prompted.

Louis sighed but answered, “And if either of you bring me back any dead animals as gifts, I have to accept it. No matter how unnecessary and disgusting it is”.

Though, to be fair, after years of practice, Louis was now accustomed to getting given such ‘gifts’ and having to dispose of them as soon as each wolf’s back was turned.

Zayn seemed to be satisfied by Louis’ answers as the tension in his shoulders loosened and he nuzzled his cheek against Louis’ shoulder in a silent thank you. 

Louis sat back and relaxed, allowing his eyes to close for a few minutes. He smiled contently as the laughter of his pack swirled around him, a cacophony of voices raised in boisterous debate over which of the X-Men movies were the best; Nick teasing Aidan but not being able to hide his fond tone; Zayn and Liam whispering to each other about bonds and love and Marvel superheroes. Being with the pack had always been Louis’ favourite thing to do on rainy afternoons and it gave him a familiar sense of comfort to be around them before the run.

Still, a part of him was all too aware of the voice their gathering lacked. The deep drawl of their original Alpha. He wondered, not for the first time, who Harry ran with now.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Louis kept an eye on the pack as each of them shifted, pulling the curtains back so the moonlight would pour into the room and speed up the transformation.

Harry had been able to change into his wolf form at will, being the Alpha, but the other wolves relied on the moonlight to shift.

Louis leant down next to Niall, stroking his head while simultaneously reaching a hand out to Cara. These two struggled the most with the full shift and had told him that the touch of their Alpha made it less painful. 

Liam, Zayn, Perrie, Jesy and Nick were all able to shift with no assistance but Aidan crawled up to Louis and laid his head on his shoulder as his bones shifted to accommodate his wolf form.

“It’s okay. You’re all doing great”, Louis soothed them, shuffling closer to a whimpering Niall.

“Louis!” Cara gasped and that was his signal to let go of her hand so her claws could grow out fully. He watched with a sense of pride as her face shifted, canines elongating and fur sprouting up. It only took a minute for her last human attribute to disappear.

“Well done, love”, he praised her, scratching behind the grey wolf’s ears gently when she whined and rubbed her head against his thigh.

Aidan too, had completed the shift, the brown wolf now licking Louis’ hand in gratitude while Niall was just finishing his own shift, white fur encasing his body.

Louis looked around at the rest of the pack, all of whom were growling amongst themselves, restless to start the run. Liam, Nick and Jesy paraded around in their brown coats, Perrie was a lighter shade of grey than Cara and Zayn was shaking out his glossy black fur. 

In their full wolf forms, their human sides were pushed back in favour of their animal senses being heightened. They could still tell that Louis was their Alpha though and waited patiently for him to tell them what to do.

Louis sighed, getting up from the floor and opening the front door before gesturing for them to step out. Identical whines of confusion came from all the wolves, who in their wolf forms, couldn’t understand why their Alpha wasn’t going to lead them during the run.

“I’m human, remember?” Louis told them patiently, the way he had done during every run since Harry had left, despite knowing they couldn’t actually understand very many of the words. 

He got down on his knees, holding out a hand to Liam, who was the second-in-command. The brown wolf trotted up to him immediately, almost purring when Louis rubbed his head.

“You’re going to take care of the pack for me, Liam”, Louis murmured to him, locking eyes with the wolf before shifting his own slightly downwards.

It was the smallest form of submission, one that was used to convey to the wolves that their Alpha wanted someone else to be in charge for a short while without giving up overall control of the pack.

Harry had never used it but then again, Harry was an actual werewolf and had gotten years to prepare for being an Alpha. Louis was simply making do with what he had been given.

Liam understood the action at once and growled softly, leaning forward to nuzzle Louis’ cheek to show the message had been received.

Louis smiled at him, petting him once again before standing back to let him through the door. The other wolves followed Liam, one by one, each pausing in front of Louis to rub their cheek against the nearest part of his body, scenting the member of the pack they were leaving behind.

It was their way of saying they would be coming back.

“You better be!” Louis joked, “This place has no heating. I need my werewolf blankets tonight!”

Although very few of his words probably made sense to the wolves in their current form, they made happy growls at simply hearing the sound of his familiar voice.

Louis pressed a kiss to each wolf’s head as they stood in a line outside, a tradition that had started during Harry’s first run with his family at the age of 13 and one that continued over the years with the addition of new pack members.

Without Louis’ ‘good luck’ kiss, as Harry used to say, the pack didn’t feel quite right.

The only difference now was that, instead of giving the last kiss to Harry, he gave it to Zayn.

Zayn gently gnawed on Louis’ jeans and tugged him until he got the hint and knelt down to press a kiss to the wolf’s cheek. A silent form of comfort and confidence.

“Go and get werewolf married or whatever”, Louis chuckled, hugging Zayn. The black wolf nuzzled his cheek against Louis’ before stepping back in line with the rest of the wolves, his eyes watching Liam.

“Alright then”, Louis smiled at the pack as they shifted on their feet, nosing at the ground, eager to be off. The rain was starting to drizzle down, covering the grass in a fine sheen of water.

“I have no idea how much of this gets through to you but I’m still going to say it. Be careful, don’t do anything stupid, try not to get hurt and please for the love of all that is holy, _don’t_ come back covered in blood. Clean up after yourselves”, Louis told them, despite knowing that at least one wolf (his bets were on Niall as usual) would return with their coat stained slightly red and the remnants of a mutilated squirrel or rabbit in their jaw.

Louis wished he could say it was just something that came with being an Alpha but even when Harry had led the pack, Louis had still been the one who the wolves came to after the run, either seeking his nod of approval when they showed him their catch or waiting patiently as he used a warm cloth to clean them up.

“Yeah, who am I kidding? You all know I’ve got a box of garbage bags in the boot of my car to get rid of dead animals and a whole assortment of shampoos for your fur ”, Louis muttered, “That last part was for your benefit, Niall”.

All the wolves watched him with what, Louis swore, were fondly exasperated expressions, accustomed to their resident human being slightly mental. Niall even went so far as to trot up to Louis and rub his cheek against his leg in what was supposed to be a reassuring gesture…or maybe his cheek was itchy. Louis wasn’t entirely sure which.

Still, he smiled and scratched the white wolf behind his ears before glancing down at his watch. It was time.

“Okay then. Have a good run!” he waved at them and, understanding that the gesture symbolised goodbye, Liam moved to the head of the pack.

He threw his head back and howled. Half a second later, Zayn imitated the howl, followed by the rest of the werewolves. Louis watched as the pack waited for Liam and Zayn to move next to each other, instinctively understanding tonight was more special for them and then, they were off! 

Louis watched them run towards the forest, faster than any animal or human could. It was only when he could no longer see Niall’s white coat that he took a seat on the front porch, shielding himself from the rain as best he could with his jacket.

The runs usually lasted about three to four hours so Louis grabbed his phone from his pocket and started to continue his game of Candy Crush. When he got bored of that, he leant back in the chair and let his mind wander.

He thought about Harry, as he often did during the full moon. He wondered how he was doing, whether his child was a boy or a girl, whether him and Taylor had started dating or if he was seeing someone else.

Louis knew Harry hadn’t bonded with anyone yet because whenever an Alpha found a mate, they had to introduce them to the pack and gain the pack’s approval. Harry hadn’t returned since the day he left.

In a way, Louis had understood why Harry hadn’t kept in contact with them. Any werewolf would miss their pack when they were in a different place but an Alpha missed them the most. Being able to see and speak to his pack without touching them or being there for them would be the equivalent of torture for Harry.

Not that this was much better but…he was clearly coping. 

Louis wasn’t sure exactly how long he sat there, lost in thought but what snapped him out of it was the ringing of his phone. He frowned at it when he saw the number was unfamiliar but, after a brief moment of consideration, he picked it up.

“Hello?”

“Alpha Tomlinson?”

If the voice hadn’t tipped Louis off to the identity of the caller, the use of his formal title certainly did. 

“Alpha Montgomery”, Louis replied, trying not to sound too nervous. 

Sarah Montgomery was the Alpha of one of their ally packs and also, an old friend of the Styles’ family. She had grown up with Harry’s mother, Anne, and when he was a child, Harry had been forced to spend the summer holidays with the Montgomery pack, whining the entire time about how much he hated it.

The year Harry had turned thirteen, he had refused to go unless Louis could come with him and despite Anne’s initial reluctance to take nine year old Louis into a pack that wasn’t familiar with him, she had eventually agreed. Louis had immediately liked Sarah, who reminded him of Anne but he had hated her eldest daughter, Caroline, who wouldn’t allow him to play any games with the rest of the pack because he was “human” and “weak” and “a baby”. 

Harry always defended him, refusing to play unless Louis could too but that just inspired Caroline to resent Louis for taking away her time with Harry. Thinking back on it, Louis wondered if Anne and Sarah had been trying to set their children up with each other but, if that was the case, Harry had clearly not been interested.

On one particular occasion, after the curly-haired boy had chosen to sit next to Louis at lunch instead of Caroline, she had purposely tripped Louis over. When he tried to get back up, he had realised his foot was sprained and promptly burst into tears from the pain. Anne and Sarah had hurried outside upon hearing the commotion to find Caroline pinned to the ground with Harry’s claws millimetres away from her throat, the boy wolfed out and growling at the younger Beta. Anne had never asked Harry to visit the Montgomery pack again and he had been allowed to stay at Louis’ house for an entire week, until the younger boy’s foot had healed.

The next time Louis had seen the Montgomery pack was at Anne’s funeral. Sarah had offered Harry her support and reminded him they were his allies. She told him Anne had been a great Alpha and that he was destined to follow in her footsteps. Harry had thanked her before hiding his tears against Louis’ neck, only calming down when Louis brushed his hand through the older lad’ curls. 

Louis had noticed Caroline watching them with a calculating look in her eyes. She started walking towards them with purpose but before Louis could warn Harry, Sarah grabbed her daughter’s arm. They had a heated exchange, conducted entirely in whispers that had been too quiet for even Harry to hear but whatever Sarah had told her caused Caroline to deflate and turn away from them. Sarah had given Louis a kind smile and a wink before following her daughter.

It had confused Louis at the time but he was soon distracted by the rest of the pack gathering around them to offer Harry their condolences. 

After Harry had left for London, Sarah had called Louis to assure him that her pack was still allied with his, despite the change in leadership. 

“It’s interesting”, she had added, “Not many humans have the potential to be an Alpha”.

Louis had hastily pointed out that he was only Alpha temporarily and that he would be handing the reins back to Harry as soon as he returned, praying that Harry’s choice to leave him in charge hadn’t made the Styles pack weaker in her eyes. 

But Sarah had just chuckled and said, “You misunderstood me, Alpha Tomlinson. I think the role suits you”. 

Louis had felt as if she knew something he didn’t but she’d told him to take care and hung up before he could ask. She had only called him once after that, to warn him about a potential rogue wolf that had been spotted near their territory. The wolf had been apprehended by the authorities before it became a problem for their pack but Louis had still appreciated the warning.

Since then, he hadn’t heard from her and he cleared his throat now before asking, “Is everything okay?”

Sarah’s normally pleasant voice sounded tense as she answered.

“There’s a threat and it’s heading your way. My pack tried to handle it but…let us just say it did not end well”.

Louis sat up in his chair, scanning the horizon as if he could possibly see the aforementioned threat.

“Another rogue wolf?” he guessed but, by the long, uncomfortable pause on the other end of the phone, he figured that wasn’t it.

“No…actually, we can’t figure out what it is”, Sarah explained, frustration evident in her tone, “There have been murders happening in our territory for the last three weeks and all of the victims are werewolves. My pack’s been searching the borders for days but the scent, or _scents_ rather, keeps changing. One second, we’re following the scent of a wolf and the next, it tapers off to that of a human. We suspect it’s a group of creatures with a common agenda in mind. A miscellaneous pack of rogues”.

“That’s…odd”, Louis murmured, frowning. 

Supernatural creatures tended to stick with their own kind for the best protection. They might, occasionally, go rogue by themselves but banding together with other rogues was unheard of!

“It is”, Sarah agreed, “And whatever these creatures are, they weren’t afraid to commit murder in werewolf territory, which means they weren’t frightened of me”.

“And…” Louis gulped, took a deep breath before speaking, “You said it’s going to come into our territory?”

“One of our pack members was discovered in an alley yesterday”, Sarah managed to say it factually but Louis knew it must have been gut-wrenching for her to admit that she hadn’t been able to protect the pack. “Caroline followed the scent and said it crossed the city border into Corden pack territory. I’ve already contacted James and he’s on the look-out but since the Styles territory borders his, I felt it would be prudent to warn you”.

“Thanks”, Louis replied, pushing down the sudden fear of _something_ being out there and on the hunt, “I’ll tell my pack to keep their eyes peeled”.

He realised what he had said a second later.

“I meant Harry’s pack, obviously! I’m just filling in-”

“Alpha Tomlinson”, Sarah’s voice was warmer now. It reminded him painfully of what Anne had used to sound like when him and Harry had done something that was both cute and mischievous. It was a tone of fond exasperation.

“Alpha Styles’ pack _is_ your pack. It always has been”, Sarah said and then, before Louis could get a word in, added, “I’ll send you the limited amount of information we gathered on them during these last three weeks. It might help you to figure out how to protect yourselves better”.

“I…yeah. I’ll get Zayn and Perrie to look over them”, Louis agreed, “They’re good at finding patterns. Thank you for letting me know about this threat”.

“I wouldn’t dream of keeping such a thing from you”, Sarah’s words were sincere, “I know your pack has a few older members but most of you are young. Seasoned werewolves who were twice your age have been killed by this rogue pack”.

Louis tried not to hyperventilate. The last thing he needed was for the pack to sense his distress and cut their run short.

“H..how can I keep them safe?” Louis asked, voice cracking. 

“Spoken like a true Alpha”, Sarah stated, approvingly, “Thinking of the pack’s safety before your own”.

Louis blinked. His own life being in danger hadn’t even occurred to him. His mind kept thinking of Zayn and Liam, newly bonded, coming face to face with these rogues or Niall, the youngest and most inexperienced, being cornered in an alley somewhere.

“Numbers and leadership”, Sarah’s voice cut into his panicked thoughts, “A pack’s strength lies in their numbers and the strength of their pack leader”.

Louis wondered if nine people were considered to be a ‘strong’ pack. The Montgomery pack had close to thirty members but he remembered Harry once saying that the Styles’ pack could match them for strength. He had said Anne was a stronger Alpha than Sarah, which gave the pack greater overall strength. But now, with Anne’s death and Harry not being in the picture, Louis wasn’t so sure where the pack stood.

“I should get Liam to train everyone harder”, Louis thought out loud.

“Yes”, Sarah agreed, “It is entirely up to you, of course, Alpha Tomlinson, but might I make a suggestion?”

“Please”, he nodded.

“You would have a better chance of faring against a rogue pack if _all_ your pack members were there”.

Louis closed his eyes, biting his lip as her meaning sunk in. 

“Harry”, he fought to keep his voice steady, “He…I don’t think he can come. He’s got his child to look after and…” he would never choose the pack over his own child, Louis thought, trailing off.

“You might be surprised by the things Alpha Styles is willing to do for you”, Sarah told him through the phone.

“Well, sure. I’m his best friend but I can’t ask him to-”

“You are the _Alpha_ of the Styles’ pack”, Sarah’s tone had gone back to fond exasperation. She sighed, as if reeling in some stronger emotion before saying, “I was best friends with Anne for many years. What you and Alpha Styles has is…stronger”.

As if sensing Louis was about to interrupt, she carried on, “If not for yourself, Alpha Tomlinson, do it for the pack. Child or not, Harry was born into the Styles pack and he has a commitment to it. It’s in his blood”.

Louis hesitated, not knowing how to answer.

“Just…call him. For the pack”, Sarah finished before promptly hanging up.

_I wish I could_ , Louis thought as he put his phone away and looked out into the moonlit yard. _I wish I knew how_.

He brushed away the tears he knew were gathering in his eyes, wrapped his jacket tighter around himself and curled his feet up on the chair he was sitting on.  
He closed his eyes, knowing one of the wolves would wake him up by nuzzling him when they returned. After Sarah’s call, it wasn’t that surprising that he thought of Harry even with his eyes closed. 

Louis missed hanging out with Harry and seeing him everyday, yes, but it was more than that. He missed the way Harry stood, lean and vibrating with power, when he was training the Betas for a fight; he missed how the older lad would sneak in through his kitchen door on nights when he wanted a cuddle, just as he had used to do when they were kids, despite Jay having given him a key to the front door; he missed the way his eyes would flutter shut when Louis tugged on his curls; he missed the deep resonance of his voice and his strength and the way he could seamlessly lead the pack with confidence. He even missed his god-awful knock knock jokes!

Louis missed Harry but it had never hit him with more force than right now, when he realised that Harry was alone in a different city without his pack. His mental images of Zayn and Liam and Niall blurred into one of Harry, alone and injured, facing a dangerous enemy without the backing of his Betas. 

Louis choked back a sob, unable to stop the tears from building up behind his closed eyelids. A wave of emotions washed over him- grief and anger, nostalgia and fear, a sudden physical _need_ to see Harry and make sure he was alright. 

He opened his eyes with a gasp, the world in front of him distorted through his own tears. The rain was still falling and Louis could feel his shirt getting wet from the stray droplets the wind brought up to the porch. 

The cold was seeping into him and he knew he should get inside, seek shelter from the storm. The wolves would be alright. In fact, if Niall’s earlier excitement was anything to go by, they would be ecstatic to be one with nature. 

“I wish you were here, Hazza”, Louis murmured into the darkness, chuckling at how insane he must sound talking to himself. He let his eyes drift shut, planning on catching a few minutes of sleep.

The next time he opened them, it was to the sound of a loud howl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I marked this story as complete but I’ll edit that to ‘WIP’ as soon as I figure out how many chapters I want it to have. I’m hoping you’re all still interested in this becoming a chaptered fic?  
> Let me know your thoughts on this chapter and what you think is going to happen. I love hearing theories! <3 xx


	3. III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The comments and kudos for this fic have been phenomenal! Thank you all so much! I know I take a while to update but I hope this was worth the wait <3 xx

The rain was still pelting down, the strength of the wind bending the smaller trees but the howl that had jolted Louis out of his nap was most definitely _not_ a natural part of nature.

“What’s going on?” Louis asked out loud, blinking the sleep away from his eyes as he took in his surroundings.

The first thing he noticed were the Betas, standing in a protective circle around him, their eyes fastened on the border of the forest as if they expected something to emerge from it.

For a few seconds, Louis thought it might have something to do with Zayn and Liam’s bonding ceremony that he had missed reading about in the books but a quick glance at the black and brown wolves showed that neither had been marked by the silver bite which all bonded couples displayed on their necks.

That was slightly more worrying because it meant that something had made them come back to the Manor before they could go through with the ceremony. Something more important than being bonded to their mate. Something _dangerous_.

Louis managed to uncurl himself from the chair and stand, ignoring the growls that rang out from his Betas.

The wolves could clearly see something beyond the crop of trees that Louis’ human eyes couldn’t locate.

“What’s out there?” Louis whispered despite a part of him knowing that, if it were something supernatural, it would hear him.

The growls of the Betas got louder as they closed ranks around Louis, their animal instincts to protect their Alpha coming into play.

“What is it?” Louis asked, glancing at the wolves.

His mind automatically went to the suspected pack of rogues that Sarah had warned him about. Clearly, whatever was out there was regarded by the werewolves as a threat. That, in itself, was worrying.

“Okay”, Louis murmured, his hand finding its way into the nearest Beta’s fur (Jesy, in this case) as he tried to calm his suddenly racing heartbeat.

Aidan stepped closer to him, trying to reassure him that they had it under control.

That was when the harsh growl rang out from the forest, loud enough to be mistaken for thunder. It was a growl of power and warning, aimed at Aidan.

Niall whined softly, retreating back a step and moving closer to Louis’ side. The Betas were rearranging themselves now, the oldest pack members moving to the front while the younger ones stepped back, pressing against Louis for comfort and security.

Louis felt his palm grow clammy as panic started to set in. What was out there that the younger Betas felt unable to deal with?

Liam, Nick, Aidan and Perrie took a synchronised step forward, stepping off the porch and dropping to their haunches in the classic ‘ready to attack’ move that Louis had witnessed them practice during various training sessions over the years.

Zayn moved forward an inch, instinctively wanting to guard Liam’s back but at the brown wolf’s soft growl of command, he returned to stand in front of Louis again, posture defensive and eyes worried.

Louis felt a feeling of warmth course over him at the knowledge that every single member of his pack were willing to fight to guard him against any threat. He reached over and ruffled Niall’s head, causing the wolf to look up at him curiously.

“I appreciate what you guys are doing”, he told him and, from the way Liam’s ears twitched, he knew the other wolf was listening, “And I’m not sure how many of these words make sense to you right now but I need to see what’s out there. I’m not letting you risk your life for me”.

They may not have understood his words but the moment he tried to take a step forward, he found his way barred by Jesy, Cara and Zayn, who looked up at him with determined expressions. Niall started tugging on his shirt with his teeth, trying to draw him back into the safety of their circle.

Another, louder growl rang out from the forest and Louis’ eyes widened when Niall released his shirt and fell to his knees, head bowed despite the tightly coiled tension in his body. Cara seemed to be struggling to stay on her legs as well, whining pitifully. Zayn and Jesy held their ground, snarling towards the forest where the growl had come from.

Louis reached out a hesitant hand towards Niall. The moment his hand made contact with the soft fur of the wolf, Niall let out a relieved sigh and stood up again, albeit on shaky legs. Just as Louis was turning to Cara, he heard it- a high, piercing wail that was quickly muffled.

The Betas’ growls kicked up a notch.

“What is that?” Louis asked, pushing past Zayn despite the wolf trying to keep him back.

As he got closer to where Liam and the older wolves stood, Aidan stepped in front of him and blocked his path. Louis knew they were just looking out for him but he felt a bit incompetent at not being able to spot the threat all the wolves had clearly detected.

“I just want to know what it is”, Louis reasoned as he tried to step past Aidan, who jumped in front of him again.

This time though, the wolf growled, standing up to his full height as if that would intimidate Louis into stepping back.

But Louis wasn’t the Alpha for nothing! He glared at Aidan, pointedly stepping around the wolf again. He should have expected it but he was still taken by surprise when he felt teeth closing around his ankle, trying to pull him back. Logically, he knew it was Aidan’s attempt to keep him safe but the older wolf was stronger than Niall and he was pressing down a little too hard. Louis was certain he’d have teeth-shaped bruises on his ankle by tomorrow and, when Aidan continued to growl, Louis couldn’t help but feel a sliver of fear creep up. He had never felt that before with the pack.

“Let go of me, Aidan”, he said as firmly as he could but he could sense the waver in his voice.

Aidan completely ignored him, which was something he knew he would have to have a talk about with him later but for now…

“Aidan!” Louis yelped when he tried to tug free and the wolf’s teeth dug into his ankle a bit harder.

Liam turned around to help his Alpha get the Beta to back off but before he could do more than give a warning growl, a black blur shot out of the forest and smashed into Aidan.

Louis felt the wolf’s teeth leave his skin but he was thrown to the ground by the sudden impact. It took him a few moments to regain orientation but when he did, what he saw made his throat close up and his heart hammer in his chest.

Standing there, facing off against Aidan, was a large, black wolf with a streak of grey across his chest. There was a tuft of fur missing from the wolf’s back leg and it was limping. There was blood on the ground, whether Aidan’s or the new wolf’s, Louis couldn’t tell. What he could tell though, was that both wolves were gearing up for a fight.

Before he could try to stop it, Aidan had run towards the black wolf, one clawed paw extended. With just one look at the other wolf, Louis could tell that had been the wrong move to make. The new wolf was at least twice Aidan’s size and pure muscle, fangs bared and prepared for a fight. It easily dodged the attack, rolling to the side and turning around to snap his teeth against Aidan’s back leg.

Aidan kicked out and somehow got free but not for long as the black wolf pounced on him. There were growls and snarls and yelps but they sounded far more intense than anything Louis had heard before during the pack’s training sessions. This wasn’t a practice or a game to them. This was a real fight.

“Fucking hell!” Louis murmured, trying not to freak out.

He had no experience dealing with an _actual_ fight between werewolves. The only ones he had ever had to get involved in were small scraps between pack members, who instinctively knew not to seriously hurt each other.

He knew the pack had fought other wolves before, rogue ones who had tried to take over their territory or tried to kill innocent people but Louis had never been there to witness any of those fights first-hand. Harry had never let him come with them when there was an actual threat on the horizon, once even going so far as to lock him in the Manor when Louis tried to sneak out.

Louis had refused to talk to him for three weeks after that had happened, despite Harry grovelling at his feet for forgiveness and telling him he was just trying to keep him safe.

“You tried to use your Alpha tone on me!” Louis had snapped at him, “And _then_ locked me inside your house!”

“Rogue wolves are dangerous, Lou”, Harry had replied but his voice was quieter, possibly ashamed, “I just didn’t want to put you in danger”.

“That’s _my_ decision to make, Harold! You can’t just fucking command me to stay put. Not even your mother ever used that tone with me!”

And it was true. Anne had given commands to almost all other pack members at some point using her Alpha tone to brook no arguments but she had never once tried it with Louis. When he had been younger, he’d once asked Harry if that was because he wasn’t a part of the pack and Harry had immediately marched up to Anne to demand that she use her tone on his friend because, “Louis’ pack! He is!”

Anne had looked shocked at the conclusion Louis had drawn and came up to gather him in her arms, despite him being ten years old and way too big for cuddles, as she said, “Of course you’re pack, love”.

“But you never use that tone with me”, Louis had mumbled, trying to hide his tear-filled eyes from the older werewolf but Anne knew him almost as well as his own mother.

She had wrapped him in a hug and whispered in his ears, too low for even Harry to hear.  
“You _are_ pack, Louis. Never doubt that. I don’t use the tone with you because I know you can’t be commanded”.

“Because I’m human?” Louis asked, feeling almost angry at his humanity for preventing him from being given the same treatment as the rest of the pack.

“No”, Anne had replied, wiping the tears away from his cheeks, “Because you’re special. Who knows? Maybe one day you’ll be the one giving commands!”

It had made Louis giggle at the time and, when Harry had come up to hug him and fuss over him for the rest of the afternoon, he decided that it was alright to be the only human member of the pack after all.

It had sort of been a dick move on Louis’ part to remind Harry of his Mum just a year after her death but he had hardly been able to see straight through the haze of anger and sense of unfairness that surrounded the situation.

“I didn’t mean to use-” Harry had cut himself off, tugging at his own hair in frustration, “You’re just so fucking _stubborn_ all the time! And you’re only thirteen, Lou!”

“So? Zayn’s the same age and you don’t baby him!” Louis _did not_ pout…but it was a close call. A sudden thought struck him.

“Is it because I’m not a werewolf?”

Harry had looked conflicted and Louis’ mouth had tightened.

“Fine. I get it. If you didn’t want me to be a part of your pack after you became Alpha, you could’ve just said!”

He hoped his face didn’t show how hurt he was but he didn’t even manage to turn away from Harry before the Alpha’s arms came around him, forcing him back against his warm chest.

“Louis, Lou”, Harry’s voice had edged on the verge of desperate, “I would _never_ …I can’t believe you think I’d…fuck, Louis! You’re more than pack to me. You…you’re family”.

“Family?” Louis had asked, not entirely willing to believe him.

“Yeah. Only family smell like home”.

Louis couldn’t remember how that evening had ended (probably with pizza and TV) but he could still recall the warm feeling that had spread through him at Harry’s words. He was special. He was _family_!

 

Louis was snapped out of his memory when he heard a rough growl. He focused his attention back on Aidan and the black wolf just in time to see them fall to the ground again, teeth and claws meeting in a furious clash of wills as each tried to establish dominance over the other. From where Louis was standing, it was obvious the black wolf was winning.

The wolf’s eyes flashed silver, its body holding Aidan down by force.

Aidan, who had been snarling up until now, suddenly quietened down and bared his throat in a clear show of conceding defeat.

Louis’ breath caught in his throat when he realised that the larger wolf wasn’t stopping the fight. In fact, its claws were pressed dangerously close to Aidan’s, now vulnerable, throat. Louis wasn’t sure what Aidan had done to make the other wolf feel as if it were being challenged but it was obvious that a challenge _had_ been issued and the stakes were high enough that the black wolf wasn’t satisfied with a begrudgingly offered submission. It wanted to fight until only one would emerge the true victor. It was going to kill or be killed.

Louis couldn’t figure out why neither option seemed appealing to him. As Alpha of the pack, he should have been commanding the wolves to destroy the threat. He could see out of the corner of his eyes that the other Betas were waiting for him to give them some sort of signal so they could join in and tear the larger wolf apart but that thought scared Louis just as much as the thought of Aidan getting hurt.

For some reason, he didn’t want the black wolf to be injured.

“No!” Louis shouted as Liam, tired of waiting and worried for his pack member, jumped into the foray to try and force the bigger wolf off of Aidan.

He prayed that the Betas would shake off their anger long enough to listen to him or this would turn into a bloodbath! He had no doubt that the larger wolf, despite being injured, could face all of them and still come out the victor.

Louis could only stare in horror as the black wolf swiped a paw towards Liam, his other one still holding Aidan down. There was enough force behind the simple gesture for Liam to go flying, hitting the ground with an audible thump. He got up again a second later, slightly dazed but otherwise fine.

Something niggled at the back of Louis’ mind as he watched the bigger wolf growl, its head a breath away from Aidan’s and its claws starting to make contact with the Beta’s throat.

Next to Louis, Zayn’s hackles had risen. He snarled and crouched lower, prepared to pounce and that was when Louis regained his voice.

“Stop it! Stop!” Louis put as much firm command into the words as possible.

At Louis’ words, Zayn paused, throwing him a betrayed look that was full of confusion. Why wasn’t his Alpha letting him defend his pack and, more specifically, Liam?

Louis though, was more focused on the black wolf, who had frozen the moment he had spoken. He had been trying to figure out why the younger Betas hadn’t attempted to join in the fight or even growl at the wolf. It had been just a suspicion but now, as the black wolf’s head turned towards Louis, those jade green eyes falling on him, Louis was certain of the wolf’s identity.

“Harry”, he said it softly, not wanting to aggravate him.

Harry’s wolf form had always been black but it had been the same size as Zayn’s. Now though, he was much larger and more…wild. The eyes that met Louis’ held no spark of recognition but he must have decided something about Louis was familiar since he had stopped attacking Aidan.

“Harry”, Louis spoke again, trying to sound more confident than he felt, “No one here is going to hurt you. Look around. This is _your_ pack. Don’t you remember us?”

It was the stuff of Louis’ worst nightmares- that Harry would never return to them because he had forgotten about his pack. Being here physically but not recognising them was a lot worse than anything he had ever imagined.

Apart from Aidan, who was still being held down by Harry, the rest of the Betas crowded around Louis, forming a protective barrier between him and the black wolf.

Louis could sense the move angering Harry and he quickly stepped around the wolves, shooting Liam a look that he hoped conveyed the fact he didn’t want them getting involved in this.

He kept his eyes on Harry’s as he walked closer to the wolf, each step careful and measured. Harry watched him approach and the closer he got, the more Harry’s eyes changed from blank to something more familiar.

Louis stopped when he was about five steps away from where Harry and Aidan lay. When Aidan attempted to raise his eyes to look at Louis, Harry’s claws pushed in slightly and the Beta quickly averted his gaze again.

“It’s the full moon,” Louis began, internally berating himself for stating the obvious but Harry didn’t seem to care, “So I understand that you’re both going to be a bit more…territorial than normal. But whatever Aidan did, he didn’t mean to challenge you”.

Harry’s eyes flicked between Louis and Aidan and he let out another growl.

“Okay. You’re not understanding me”.

Louis shuffled closer under Harry’s watchful gaze, “You have no idea how much I’m wishing you could shift back right now so we could talk”.

During the full moon, all the wolves were temporarily stuck in their wolf forms until the moon set. Which, judging by Louis’ watch, was still hours away.

“Just…please let go of Aidan”, Louis finally said.

Harry stared at Louis for a long moment before moving his paw away from Aidan’s throat. He still kept a hold on the Beta by placing one clawed hand on his back legs, ensuring he couldn’t move away but at least the immediate threat of having his throat torn out was removed.

“Okay. That’s a step in the right direction so thank you”, Louis continued, gently, relieved to see a hint in Harry’s eyes of the boy he knew. “Now, can you please let him get up so he can join the rest of the pack over there?”

Harry growled again but this time, it was softer, as if he were simply questioning Louis instead of warning him.

“Why not? He hasn’t done anything wrong”, Louis tried to explain, ignoring the fact that even after two years away, he could still understand Harry’s implied words while he was in wolf form.

When they had been younger, it had always made Louis feel proud whenever he could figure out what Harry was saying, when no other humans (or sometimes even werewolves in human form) could. If he were honest, it still gave him a bit of a buzz.

Harry took a step closer to him and Louis felt all the Betas simultaneously tense around him. Perrie even gave a quiet growl. Louis ignored them and so did Harry, choosing instead, to lean his head down and nose at Louis’ leg.

It took Louis a few seconds to figure out Harry was trying to get him to reveal his ankle.

“Oh! This?” Louis rolled up his jeans, not at all surprised to see angry, red, teeth-shaped bruises starting to bloom on the soft skin, “It’s nothing. I’ve had worse”.

He regretted the statement almost as soon as he said it for Harry snarled and rounded on Aidan again, understanding the word ‘worse’.

“No! That’s not what I meant! He doesn’t normally hurt me”, Louis hastened to add.

Harry didn’t miss a beat, turning his head towards where Liam and the remaining Betas stood, his eyes flashing with anger.

“No one in the pack has hurt me!” Louis almost shouted, drawing Harry’s attention back to him, though not before he had given a defensive looking Nick a growl.

“I swear, Hazza. They’ve been crazy protective of me! Like, even more than you and I didn’t even think that was possible!”

Something in Harry’s features shifted as he recognised his old nickname and before Louis could understand the myriad of emotions that had suddenly entered his eyes, he found himself with a werewolf nuzzling against his chest. Apparently, Harry’s wolf was now tall enough to reach that high!

It felt incredibly natural for Louis to sink down to his knees and let the wolf bury his face in his neck, scenting him.

He threw his arms around Harry, running his palms over the familiar, soft fur. It was slightly matted and he made a mental note to ask the Alpha how long he had been in wolf form for. The condition of his fur seemed to suggest he hadn’t just shifted for the full moon. The black wolf melted into the embrace, huffing out a breath against his neck as he nuzzled against him.

“Hazza”, Louis’ voice came out choked with tears and, as if sensing this, Harry’s tongue darted out and licked a path up his neck to his cheek.

Louis clung onto him for a little longer. It had been so long since he had seen Harry that he was half worried this was only a dream and that the moment he let go of the warm body in his arms, he would wake up and realise he was alone again.

When he finally let go, despite Harry’s whine of displeasure, he saw a familiar warmth in those green eyes he had known since childhood. It only lasted for a second though before another, unfamiliar emotion entered them. This time, Louis realised it was fear.

“Are you-” Louis began but was cut off by a wail that sounded remarkably human.

It came from the crop of trees at the border of the forest from which Harry had emerged. Harry suddenly looked exhausted but he leant forward and nuzzled his cheek against Louis’.

The Alpha started walking towards the forest, pausing to look back until Louis figured out he wanted him to follow.

Louis hadn’t realised he’d moved forward until the Betas started following him. Harry snarled at the other wolves, locking eyes with Liam before tilting his head towards Louis.

Liam growled back, eyes narrowing. Louis glanced between them, unsure of what they were saying to each other but eventually, Liam stopped walking and halted the other Betas, despite not looking too happy about it.

As he followed Harry, he thought about the Betas reaction to the black wolf. Why had they directly challenged his leadership? Why were they still acknowledging Louis as the Alpha? He couldn’t help but think it had something to do with the blank look Harry kept getting in his eyes, as if he weren’t entirely himself, and the grey patch over his chest that had certainly not been there in the past.

Louis glanced back at Zayn and Perrie, who he personally referred to as the ‘brains of the group’. Both of them were watching Harry, heads tilted to the side. Perrie caught his eye, some spark of knowledge gleaming in hers and Louis decided he would have to ask her about it tomorrow, once she was back to her human form.

For now, he focused his attention on the place Harry was leading them to. The closer he got to the forest, the easier he could make out the trees and the outline of someone.

Harry trotted over the last few metres and Louis saw the someone reach out to grab onto him. Harry turned back to face Louis, an uncertain look in his eyes.

 

Before Louis could ask, the small figure shuffled forward, still half-hidden behind Harry’s back legs. It was a child with blue eyes and brunette curls, plastered to his head from the rain. He looked no older than two. His thumb was stuck in his mouth and there were fresh tear tracks slipping down his rosy cheeks. There was no doubt that the boy was Harry’s son. Apart from the eyes, the resemblance was uncanny!

He had a coat on but despite this, he was soaking wet from the rain and shivering, huddling closer to Harry for warmth. Liam growled again and Harry responded with a snarl. The toddler let out another, heaving sob, crowding even closer to his father.

As he observed, the scene taking place suddenly made sense to Louis. Harry was warning the Betas to back off but they were refusing, wary of the strange child amongst their established hierarchy. It still didn’t make complete sense though.

Anyone who the Alpha accepted would become pack automatically and clearly, Harry had accepted his child. So why then were the other wolves still not satisfied?

The toddler sobbed again and Louis pushed all other thoughts to the back of his mind. He hated seeing anyone sad but especially children.

Louis walked closer to the boy, his heart racing as he realised Harry might not take too kindly to anyone getting too close to his child. The wolf’s eyes watched him but he made no indication of wanting to stop him. In fact, he met him half-way, the child stumbling along by his side, clutching his dad’s black fur.

Louis gave the curly-haired boy who was staring at him warily, a hesitant smile. He couldn’t help but associate the child with Harry leaving the pack and the thought brought a wave of anger with it. Louis pushed that back when he saw how terrified the boy was.

His first thought was how similar to Harry the child looked. His second was that the boy didn’t seem to have fur or any other wolf attributes that the full moon should have brought out.

“He’s _human_?” Louis couldn’t stop himself from gasping.

Harry seemed to understand the word in his wolf form for he nodded, gazing at Louis with something akin to desperation in his eyes.

Louis had a thousand things he wanted to do- ask Harry why he was here now, figure out what had happened to make Harry look so different, yell at him for having left the pack and not kept in contact for the last two years- but all of this took a backseat to his main concern. He had to get the shivering child to a safe, warm place and get that terrified look out of his eyes. No child that young should look so haunted!

The little boy had pressed himself closer to Harry when Louis’ gaze had fallen on him and now, his shoulders started to shake with more scared sobs.

“Hi there”, Louis kept his voice soft and gentle, wiping the rain out of his eyes as he knelt in front of the toddler, “Don’t cry, love. I’m not gonna hurt you, I promise”.

He gave the child his best smile and held out his hand, pinkie up. After a minute of peeking up at him, the boy slowly moved forward. Just one step, with his hand still clutching Harry’s fur tightly, but he extended his other hand to make the pinkie promise.

“My name’s Louis”, Louis continued once the boy had let go, determined to gain the child’s trust before the lot of them got hypothermia from the cold weather, “I’m your Dad’s friend. Can you tell me your name?”

He hoped the boy was old enough to talk. He looked as if he would be around one and a half but Louis couldn’t be sure.

The toddler blinked at Louis slowly and, despite his eyes being blue, the curious uncertainty in them reminded him of what Harry had used to be like as a kid.

“I bet it’s a really cool name!” Louis encouraged, “Definitely more creative than your Dad’s, yeah?”

“Wewan”, the boy finally mumbled around the thumb in his mouth, the words coming out garbled.

Louis raised an eyebrow, throwing a teasing smile on his lips as he said, “Wow! That’s…creative that”.

The boy let out a soft giggle and removed his thumb, speaking slightly louder when he said, “Declan”.

Declan. Louis thought it sounded like a mouthful but out loud he said, “Ah! I _knew_ it would be a cool one! Nice to meet you, Declan”.

In his mind, he started to refer to the child as ‘Dex’. It was shorter and, in his opinion, suited the boy more.

“Now that we know each other, what do you say we get out of the rain?”

Louis pointed back towards the Manor.

“We can get you out of those wet clothes and I’ll even make you hot chocolate because you’ve been such a brave lad!”

Dex gave him a confused look.

“Hot chocolate?” he copied Louis’ words, slowly and carefully. It was painfully similar to the way Harry always spoke.

“Yeah. You know, the drink?” Louis explained but it was clear from the frown that appeared on Dex’s face that the boy did not, in fact, know.

What kind of life had this kid been leading if he wasn’t aware of the existence of hot chocolate? Louis couldn’t wait for Harry to change back so he could ask him.

“Well, you’re about to find out exactly what hot chocolate is. Prepare to be blown away, young Dex!” Louis stated, pausing when he realised the nickname had accidentally slipped out.

Dex didn’t seem to mind that but he cast a hesitant look towards the Betas.

“They won’t hurt you, love”, Louis promised him, turning around to shoot the wolves a pointed look that meant no threatening growls were allowed.

This seemed to calm Dex a bit but he still glanced at Harry. The older wolf gently nudged him forward with his nose, towards Louis, who held out a hand for the toddler to grasp.

The moment Louis touched him, Dex seemed to gravitate towards him, laying his head against Louis’ shoulder and looking up at him through his eyelashes. Louis didn’t even realise he had scooped the boy up in his arms until he stood up and felt the comfortable weight of him against his body.

He shot Harry a glance, worried he had overstepped but Harry looked…happy? His green eyes had a soft look in them and were shining with what might have been a fine sheen of tears but the wolf blinked them away before Louis could be certain.

Dex settled against Louis’ hip, his small arms wrapped around the boy’s neck and his head hidden against Louis’ collarbone as Louis’ body heat started to warm him up. The Betas had stopped growling and were now regarding the scene with an air of begrudging acceptance.

Harry though, hadn’t moved from his spot by the border of the forest. Louis’ gaze sharpened as he noticed the wolf take a small, limping step, backwards. Was he trying to leave them again so soon?

“You can’t leave”, Louis found himself saying, his tone coming out commanding without meaning to.

He winced at Harry’s questioning look. Was he seriously trying to ask Louis _why_ he couldn’t leave? Didn’t the pack mean anything to him anymore?!

Louis wanted to scream all this at the wolf but he knew most of it would be wasted as Harry had limited understanding in his wolf form. So, he settled for stating an equally compelling reason to stay.

“You’re injured”, he said, pointing out the wound on Harry’s back leg.

Harry whined, shaking his head in an attempt to convey that it wasn’t important and that it would eventually heal.

Louis ignored this in favour for asking, “Why isn’t your healing kicking in yet?”

He sighed when he realised that Harry was hardly in a form that could answer such questions effectively.

“You know what? Let’s just…discuss all of this in the morning. Right now, you need to have that tended to”, he nodded at the wound, “And your son needs some warmer clothes”.

Louis started to walk towards the Manor with Dex clinging to him, before he realised he shouldn’t just assume Harry wanted to join in on pack night.

“Uh…do you mind us spending the night? You look exhausted. I could move the Cuddle over to my house if you want some quiet time with Dex?”

“No!” Dex answered before Harry could do anything, his small hands tightening around Louis, “Dada, stay!”

Harry stared at his son for a moment, his eyes holding some complicated emotion that Louis didn’t even try to decipher.

Finally, he nodded and that seemed to be the silent cue the Betas had been waiting for.

They had been watching Louis and Harry interact and now stepped forward, one by one, to brush a cheek or tail or paw against Harry, scenting him. When Liam stepped forward to rub their cheeks together, Dex shifted in Louis’ arms, trying to copy the movement.

“What?” Dex asked, pointing at Liam and Harry.

“That’s Liam”, Louis explained softly, pushing back the emotions that rolled through him at seeing the pack together. Seeing them whole and complete. “He’s…welcoming your Dad home”.

Dex shifted in Louis’ arms, rubbing his cheek against Louis’ shoulder in an attempt to copy Liam’s actions as best as a human could. Louis couldn’t stop the fond smile from spreading on his face.

He leant forward to place a quick kiss to the boy’s cheek, chuckling when it made Dex giggle.

“Let’s get you into some warm clothes, yeah?” he told Dex, who gave him a dimpled smile of agreement.

When Louis next glanced towards the wolves, he saw Harry was staring back at him. He inclined his head towards the Manor to let Harry know he was heading in with Dex and the wolf gave him a nod of acknowledgement.

Louis expected the Betas to stay with Harry. After all, their Alpha had just returned to them after two years! So, it was a surprise when Jesy, Aidan, Zayn and Niall broke off from the group and followed Louis back to the house.

Dex stared down at them with wide eyes when Niall walked up to Louis and nuzzled against his thigh. Louis rubbed the wolf’s head in response before looking at Zayn, who didn’t look too disappointed at the fact his bonding ceremony had been interrupted.

“I’m sorry tonight didn’t work out”, Louis told him anyway but Zayn just licked at his hand and tilted his head in a gesture that seemed to say, “There’s always next month”.

Yeah. Louis supposed there was. He wondered if Harry and Dex would be with them next month.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Betas got comfortable in the master bedroom, which had the largest bed, while Louis headed off to the bathroom with Dex. He had noticed as he carried the child that he was wearing old, mostly torn clothes and had bits of grass and god knew what else, stuck in his hair. A bath was definitely long overdue.

The boy seemed amazed by everything in the bathroom, from the tap to the toilet, reaching out tentatively to flush the contraption when Louis showed him how. Louis once again wondered where Harry and his son had been living if such basic necessities seemed like unseen luxuries to the child.

Dex’s eyes almost fell out of his head when Louis poured in the bubble bath.

“Bubbles”, Louis told him, grinning proudly when the boy copied the word and got it right on his first go.

He was incredibly smart for his age.

“Oh!” Dex exclaimed happily as Louis gently lowered him into the half-filled bathtub.

He knelt down on the floor beside the tub and cleaned Dex as best as he could without a flannel or bath toys to distract the curious child. The boy’s body had collected a lot of dust during his travels and Louis had to fill the tub twice before the water stopped turning brown on contact.

In the middle of bath time, Dex discovered the joy that was making bubble beards and decided to try it out on his unsuspecting helper. Louis spluttered through the sudden onslaught of bubbles on his face, pretending to bite Dex’s fingers in retaliation.

The boy’s laughter bounced off the walls of the bathroom, a sweet and endearing sound that Louis wanted to hear more of.

“Dada!” the child suddenly shouted, clapping his hands together.

“Huh?”

A soft huff that sounded like laughter came from the doorway and Louis spun around to see Harry standing at the bathroom door, watching the duo with amusement reflected in his eyes. His eyes, which looked green and warm and a lot like the Harry he was used to seeing.

“Um, hi. I hope you don’t mind but his clothes were soaked and I figured a hot bath would help him warm up”, Louis hastily explained but Harry didn’t seem to be annoyed that Louis had taken the liberty of giving his son a bath.

In fact, the wolf walked into the room until he was standing next to Louis, their shoulders bumping. Louis let out a shaky exhale when he felt Harry’s muzzle brush against his cheek in a silent show of thanks.

“It’s no trouble”, he answered, unsure as to whether he was allowed to hug the wolf or not.

Before Harry had left, Louis would never have second-guessed himself. They had always been tactile people and it had been natural to press kisses to Harry’s cheeks or tug his hair or hug him. Now though, despite Louis wanting to, he couldn’t just ignore the fact that two years had gone by since he last stood with Harry in the same room.

“Bubble!” Dex chose that moment to pronounce, holding up a handful of bubbles and blowing them at Harry.

The wolf let out a soft growl but it was more fondly exasperated than angry. The atmosphere lightened at once and stayed that way as Louis finished cleaning Dex off. Then, he chanced a glance over Harry’s leg.

It didn’t seem too bad, the bleeding having stopped but the wound was still open and showing no signs of fast healing.

“May I?” Louis enquired, softly, indicating the wound.

Harry huffed again but he lay down, lifting his back paw so Louis could examine it. The wound looked as if it had been caused by some kind of knife but he couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t healing as fast as normal.

Instead of asking Harry questions the wolf couldn’t possibly answer in his current form, Louis reached for the bandages in the first aid kit that he kept under the bathroom sink for emergencies. It didn’t take long for him to clean and bandage the wound which he hoped would heal completely overnight.

Harry sat up again, pressing his face against Louis’ neck and breathing in his scent. Louis didn’t question it. He wasn’t sure how long Harry and Dex had been on their own but something told him Harry hadn’t had human contact in a long while.

“Dada, bath!” Dex suddenly spoke and, before Louis could stop him, he splashed water over Harry’s head, soaking the wolf even more than the rain had.

Louis couldn’t stop himself from bursting into laughter. Harry growled but he still leant over and gave Dex’s cheek a quick lick to show him he wasn’t angry.

Louis reached for another towel, rolling his eyes at the way Harry shook his head.

“Your wolf form might prevent you from getting a cold but it doesn’t stop you from smelling like a wet dog”, he stated, ignoring Harry’s petulant whine, “Now, come on. Set a good example for Dex”.

Harry fidgeted as Louis tried to dry him. Eventually, Louis placed a hand on the nape of the wolf’s neck and that seemed to calm Harry down enough for him to stand still and let Louis towel him dry.

“Okay! You’re both done”, Louis finally stated, wrapping Dex in a towel and lifting him out of the tub.

Other than the coat Dex had been wearing, all his other clothes were too dirty to do anything more than throw in the trash.

“I’ll try and find something of yours that’ll fit him”, Louis told Harry.

He knew scent was important for werewolves and he doubted Harry would like his son smelling like anyone else. The wolf didn’t respond but he followed behind Louis, padding into the master bedroom with him.

Harry didn’t seem too bothered by the pack already having established themselves on his bed but when Niall started to come closer to Louis and Dex, he gave a warning growl. The Beta immediately stopped and gave Louis a reproachful look, as if this were all somehow _his_ fault!

“What?” Louis asked, raising an eyebrow, “I’ll be there in a minute”.

Niall whined, looking pointedly in the direction of Dex and flicking his tail.

“Are you…are you _jealous_ that a toddler requires my attention?” Louis asked, incredulously.

Niall just let out a resigned sigh and crawled back into bed, letting Nick and Zayn cuddle him to make up for the injustice of not having his Alpha’ s full attention bestowed on him.

Aidan too, gave Louis a sad, betrayed look but the rest of the pack watched him and Harry quietly, eyes flicking between them and Dex.

Louis managed to find an old pair of shorts at the bottom of the wardrobe that Harry had used to wear when he was still a teenager. They fit Dex when combined with a belt. He was about to pull out a t-shirt when Dex made grabby hands at his jacket.

“You want to wear this?” Louis asked and Dex nodded, refusing to let the material go.

Louis glanced at Harry but the wolf seemed content enough to let his son have the jacket so Louis took it off and placed it on the younger boy.

Once Dex was comfortably clothed again, the pack shuffled around so Louis and Harry had a big enough space to fit on the bed with the child. None of them complained when Harry, after waiting for Louis and Dex to get comfortable, pushed Nick away and claimed his old spot next to Louis.

The wolves all settled into the Cuddle, nosing at each other’s fur and, in Louis and Dex’s case, their hair. Each wolf looked at Louis for approval as they scented the newest, youngest member of their pack, accepting him into their ranks. Louis scratched each of them behind the ears, trying not to laugh when Niall nuzzled him a tad longer than usual as if to prove a point to Dex.

When the last wolf was satisfied with their scenting, Louis lay down on his back with a happy sigh. He felt a warm body press closer to him and a clawed paw draped around his waist as hot breath spanned across the side of his neck.

Louis bit back a smile at Harry having taken up his customary position for the Cuddle. He had missed the Alpha. He had missed this feeling of safety he felt whenever Harry was with him.

The only difference now was that Louis was holding a toddler in his arms, cuddled between his chest and Harry’s.

Around them, the Betas growled happily as they settled into deep sleeps.

Louis waited for a while, until he was certain most of the wolves had drifted off to sleep. He suspected Zayn, Liam and Niall were still up but he ignored them as he turned his head to the side to meet Harry’s sleepy yet luminous eyes.

He didn’t give it much thought as he leant over slightly and pressed a kiss to the top of the wolf’s head, the way he had used to do before runs.

“Welcome back, Hazza”, he murmured, one of his hands finding its way into Harry’s fur, “Please don’t leave us again”.

Please don’t leave _me_ again, went unspoken but Harry seemed to understand for he let out a soft, apologetic whine and buried his head closer against Louis’ skin. Dex shifted in his arms, nuzzling closer to him just as his father had done.

“We…we need you”, Louis whispered before letting his eyes slip shut. As he started to drift off to sleep, he felt a warm, wet tongue lap over the pulse point of his neck. He didn’t have to open his eyes to understand it was Harry’s way of saying, “I’ll be here”.

For tonight, at least, that was promise enough.

 

_**Thank you to @CyanOfficial for this lovely sketch:** _

_** ** _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...thoughts on this chapter? :) xx


	4. IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly, a huge thanks to everyone who commented and left kudos on the last chapter! This update took a lot longer than I expected because I had to re-write this chapter about 15 times before I was happy with it. Also, life got in the way as it sometimes does.  
> Without further ado, I hope you enjoy :) xx

_  
The first thing Harry became aware of as he rose from the dredges of sleep, was the unusual warmth surrounding him. It had been far too long since he had woken up in places that weren’t damp or cold, let alone next to actual people._

_He blinked himself awake, eyes still drowsy as he took in his surroundings. His thoughts were a scattered mess, bits and pieces that made no sense flashing through his head. But instead of agonising over them as he usually did, he focused on the people around him._

_A part of him became aware of the even breaths of his Betas, signalling that they were still sleeping off the exhaustion that accompanied full moon runs. Another part of him calmed down as he felt his son’s presence beside him, snoring softly._

_But he only had a moment to reflect on all this before his gaze was drawn to the chestnut-haired boy in his arms. Louis was sleeping with one hand on Dex and the other on Harry’s chest, clutching his shirt in a lax grip. Harry himself, had his arms wrapped around both Louis and his son, enclosing them in his warmth and protection._

_It had been a while since he had been this close to Louis. He couldn’t recall how long exactly, but not a day had gone by when he hadn’t ached to be near Louis, to breathe in his scent, to feel his touch on his skin. Until Harry had left, he hadn’t realised just how large a part of his life his best friend was._

_Then, there was Dex who, for the first time in his memory, had slept through the night without any nightmares. He was sleeping with his face pressed against Louis’ neck, the way Harry’s wolf craved to do. It gave his wolf a sense of satisfaction to know that his scent, which Dex carried, would mingle with Louis’ through his son cuddling the man._

_Harry shook that thought off, confused as always when it came to his thoughts regarding his best friend. He still remembered last night and the way his wolf had responded when he thought Louis was being threatened. Even now, thinking back to the way Aidan had held Louis back, Harry could feel the growl threatening to erupt from his throat._

_As if sensing Harry’s anger, Aidan let out a soft whine in his sleep. Harry frowned. His own control over his wolf had used to be impeccable. He wasn’t entirely sure when that had changed; when his wolf had grown stronger and taken up a larger part of his mind than before._

_It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing but it was something he would have to work on having better control over. Especially around Louis._

_Ever since he caught sight of the boy yesterday, his Alpha side had been having…urges. Not that Harry would even entertain the possibility of doing anything! It was most likely a side-effect of having been away from the pack for so long. It would fade with time._

_“Hazza?” Louis murmured in his sleep and, despite himself, Harry’s wolf preened, instantly calmed by the thought that he occupied the boy’s dreams._

_He couldn’t stop himself from tightening the arm that was wrapped around the sleeping lad, pulling Louis impossibly closer so he could give in to the urge to bury his face in the younger boy’s feathery hair._

_‘Just for a minute’, Harry thought as he breathed in. He could afford himself this luxury for just a minute._

_Louis’ scent had only changed slightly in all the time he had been away. It was more mature now, marking the end of youth and the beginning of adulthood. It made him want to growl, possessively; to warn other wolves away from the lad. Consciously, Harry knew that Louis was less than a month away from turning nineteen but he still felt as protective of him as he had when Louis was six._

_A warm feeling ran through Harry as he breathed in the comforting scent, the one thing that could always help him gain control over his wolf and keep him tethered to reality. He wasn’t sure why but it had always been that way. Dex’s scent was calming but nothing came close to Louis’. He let out a soft sigh of relief as he felt his confused thoughts become blanketed by a wave of calm._

_“I’m here, Lou”, he whispered back, despite knowing the boy was asleep._

_He moved one of his hands and let his thumb rub over one of Louis’ cheekbones, hardly able to believe that he wasn’t dreaming about being here. Being back. The sleep-warm skin under his thumb helped calm that fear too._

_“I missed you so fucking much”, Harry couldn’t stop himself from whispering, his heart hammering despite him being aware that everyone else was asleep and wouldn’t witness his momentary lapse of Alpha-ness._

_As an Alpha, he had always been regarded as the strong one, the one who could put emotions on the back burner and could be counted on to make rational, strategic choices. Ever since his mum had died, Harry had perfected the expected behaviour of an Alpha. Only Louis still knew him for the boy he had been, the boy he still was, deep inside. Only around Louis would he ever let his guard drop._

_Even now, Louis seemed to be aware of this for he made a soft noise of content, rubbing his face against Harry’s chest. Harry nearly purred, holding himself back at the last moment. Instead, he bent his head slightly and pressed a soft kiss to the top of Louis’ head, scenting him. He had done this often enough in the past but now, his wolf all but demanded he do it._

_Harry paused, a sliver of fear running through him at how much he wanted to cover Louis in his scent. Was that normal for an Alpha werewolf? He wished his mum had been around to explain it to him._

_Harry started to get up, trying to gently untangle himself from the Cuddle but Louis’ arm on his shirt tightened. He could tell the lad was still asleep but he was murmuring something._

_Harry leant forward and caught the last word._

_“Stay.”_

_He bit his lip, remembering the promise he had made last night._

_One of the Betas, most likely Liam, stirred behind him, shifting closer to the Alpha and Harry laid back down. He positioned himself around Louis again and closed his eyes, indulging his wolf the need for pack and home. For the first time in a long time, both Harry and his inner wolf felt safe and loved. He felt complete.  
_

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Louis woke up the next morning to an empty bed and the sound of loud shouts. He jolted to his feet, still half disoriented, as he rushed towards the kitchen. It was rare for any creature to attack the pack at their abode but Alpha Montgomery’s threat was still weighing heavily on his mind.

He wasn’t sure what to expect when he charged into the room, hair still mussed and eyes clouded with the remnants of sleep, but he was stopped short by the sight that greeted him. 

Cara and Niall were standing in front of the stove, making breakfast (Niall doing more ‘tasting’ than actual cooking!) while the rest of the pack tried their best to feed the screaming toddler at the table. 

The screaming toddler who was sitting _on_ the large, wooden table, with Jesy’s arms acting as a restraint while Nick and Liam made soft, cooing sounds with the hope that one of them could get Dex to stop crying.

“We haven’t got a high chair lying around”, Jesy stated when she saw Louis’ disapproving gaze.

“And he didn’t want to sit on any of our laps”, Nick added, wincing as Dex’s cries got slightly higher pitched.

“Forget that”, Zayn muttered, shooting Cara a grateful look when the wolf topped up his cup of coffee, “We’ve got bigger problems. He hasn’t stopped crying since the Alpha left this morning and no amount of caffeine is helping me mute the shrill sound”.

Zayn had never been and would never be a morning person!

“Harry left?” Louis felt his heart drop, even as his feet started walking towards the child at the table.

The moment Dex heard his voice, the boy’s gaze moved to Louis and stayed there, his sobs quietening down. The pack heaved a collective sigh of relief.

Liam shot Louis a quick glance and nearly tripped over his words as he explained, “No! Not like that! He hasn’t _left_. He just went for a morning run. Wanted to do a patrol of the territory to familiarise himself with it again”.

Louis considered asking them whether their Alpha was in wolf or human form this morning but then decided against it. Liam had said he’d gone for a run around their territory. He’d be back soon enough and then, Louis could see for himself.

“You didn’t go with him?” he asked instead, scratching Niall behind the ears as the Beta ran up to him for a quick morning cuddle.

Louis didn’t miss the look of triumph Niall threw at Dex, who seemed to be regarding the blonde with a narrow-eyed, unimpressed look. Technically, Dex was human so a werewolf’s possessive nature shouldn’t affect him but it seemed the toddler was just as possessive, in his own way. Maybe it was a trait he’d picked up from Harry?

Right now, for example, it looked as if the boy were about to bite Liam’s fingers off as the wolf ardently tried to feed him some bacon. In his mind, Liam was prolonging him from being cuddled in Louis’ arms and Dex was _not_ happy about that!

“Did you… _want_ us to go with him?” Aidan asked from his place at the table, looking almost nervous at having disappointed Louis.

“Huh? No..I mean, I just figured you guys would be stuck to his side since you haven’t seen Harry in two years”, Louis answered.

“Oh!” Aidan looked relieved as he returned to his breakfast.

“We were all still tired from the run last night”, Zayn answered for the pack, “And…I don’t think the Alpha wanted us with him”.

Before Louis could reassure him that Harry loved his Betas and needed them with him, Jesy murmured, “He growled at Perrie when she tried to follow him out this morning”.

And that…was worrying. Despite being Alpha, who were known for being temperamental, Harry had always maintained a calm and placid demeanour. 

“Where’s Perrie?” Louis frowned, looking around the kitchen and not spotting the wolf, “She usually loves pack breakfasts. Is she alright?”

“She was up in the library last I checked”, Cara replied.

The Manor’s library housed an extensive book collection that no one other than Perrie and Zayn had ever even bothered to read. The room had always been something of a refuge for those two and the rest of the pack had, without being requested, left the room to them. Even Harry, who was more than entitled to use it, hardly ever did.

“Actually, she’s gone back to her house. She told me she’d forgotten her school uniform there”, Zayn said with a shrug, “Said she would drive herself to school”.

Louis groaned as he remembered that the majority of the pack had to attend school that morning. It was a pity the full moon cycles didn’t always link up with the weekends.

“Right”, Louis began, then hesitated.  
Technically, Harry was back now which meant he was Alpha again. Louis didn’t want to overstep.

Almost as if sensing his hesitance, the pack turned to him, the way they always did, with their complete focus.

“Yes, Alpha?” Cara prompted.

“I was just going to ask if any of you needed the day off school to recuperate but you don’t seem like you do”, Louis said, then paused as Cara’s words hit him, “Wait, no. I’m not the Alpha. Not anymore”.

The entire pack growled as if he had offended them. Even Dex turned to give him an annoyed look.

“Of course you’re an Alpha!” Aidan stated with a frown, “You accepted the position two years ago”.

The other wolves nodded as if this statement made perfect sense.

“Yeah, but that was just until Harry’s-”

“He’s still our Alpha too”, Jesy answered, with an easy shrug.

“You’re both like…” Nick began, trailing off with a frown and looking at Zayn, “What’s the word I’m looking for?”

“Co-Alphas”, Zayn answered, taking another sip of his coffee. 

At Louis’ look of disbelief he shrugged and said, “I swear! It’s a thing”.

“That’s not possible”, Louis’ voice was faint as he tried to process the information, “There can only be one Alpha in a pack! Anne told me that when I was ten and writing a paper for school on werewolves!” 

Suddenly, seven sets of eyes shifted away from him.

“Under most circumstances, you’d be right”, Zayn finally answered and, before Louis could question them all on what they were hiding, Liam redirected his attention back to Dex.

“Fu-fudge! Why won’t he just _eat_ the bacon? Seriously, who doesn’t like bacon?!” Liam looked frazzled already so Louis quickly stepped forward and scooped Dex up in his arms.

The child cuddled up against him at once, pressing his face into Louis’ neck the way Harry had always done, nuzzling his cheek against the skin of Louis’ collarbone. Dex may not be a werewolf but he had obviously picked up a lot of their character traits and mannerisms.

Louis had a second to reflect on how adorable that was, if slightly strange for a human child, before he felt Dex’s teeth sink into his skin. It wasn’t a hard bite but Louis knew it would leave a bruise.

“Ow!” he exclaimed, more out of surprise than real pain. 

The Betas were on edge at once, all of them simultaneously tensing, poised to attack. Louis suspected the only thing holding them back was the fact that Dex carried Harry’s scent and was being held in Louis’ arms.

“No, it’s okay!” Louis hastily stated, caging his arms tighter around the child so the Betas would understand that he didn’t want the boy to be touched, “He didn’t mean to hurt me”.

Dex peeked up from where he had been nibbling at Louis, to give the older man a dimpled smile. He pressed a wet kiss to Louis’ cheek, almost as if in apology.

“I think he’s just a bit hungry, aren’t you, love?”

“Yum?” Dex questioned and Louis figured that was his way of asking for breakfast.

At Louis’ answering chuckle, the Betas relaxed again, the conversation in the kitchen picking up.

“We _tried_ to feed him!” Jesy said, “Aidan tried giving him cereal, I attempted to tempt him with a glass of milk and Liam tried bacon. He didn’t like any of those choices!”

“Well, maybe he isn’t used to eating processed food”, Louis suggested, thinking about how Dex hadn’t known what hot chocolate was. 

“Knowing our Alpha, the kid’s probably been raised on kale juice or some such shit”, Nick said, sarcastically.

A hoard of voices immediately shouted a disapproving, “Language!” and Nick rolled his eyes but muttered a soft, “Sorry”, in the general direction of Louis and Dex.

“It’s alright. We’re all going to have to work on toning the swearing down around this one. Something tells me he’s a fast learner”, Louis chuckled as Dex made a frustrated sound and tried to bite his neck again.

“ _Please_ tell me the Alpha didn’t teach the kid to hunt like a wolf”, Aidan groaned as he watched the display and, for a second, Louis was worried Harry had.

But then he remembered it was Harry and how that just wasn’t something he’d expose his human child to. Zayn was watching Dex’s interaction with Louis closely, a sign that his mind was coming up with some kind of theory.

Louis decided that whatever it was, it was way too early to deal with it so he busied himself with considering what kinds of food Dex might be familiar with. His best guess was fruits, which he figured could be found in most places.

“Okay. How about we try your Dad’s favourite fruit, huh?” Louis told the toddler, carrying him over to the bowl of bananas someone had placed on the kitchen counter.

Dex seemed to recognise the fruit for he looked up at Louis eagerly, as the man reached for one.

“Yum”, the child stated, reverently, blue eyes filled with something close to devotion as Louis peeled the banana.

“Should we cut it up?” Cara asked but Dex had already grabbed it from Louis, holding it between his small hands and chomping down on it with relish.

“Better than kale, I suppose”, Nick sighed.

Louis grinned and sat down at the table, settling Dex on his lap. The boy seemed happy enough to munch away at the banana as Cara placed a spare plate in front of Louis.

“Dig in before Niall inhales the lot”, she cautioned, with a chuckle at Niall’s affronted gasp.

Louis couldn’t help but notice how much warmer the Betas seemed to be towards Dex this morning, scenting him the same way they did Louis, with light touches and hugs. 

Well, all except Niall who still spent half the time giving the boy annoyed glares or saddened looks. The blonde was normally so cheerful and affectionate and, as funny as Louis found his jealousy, he didn’t want it to affect the pack or their bond with Dex.

Louis was beginning to think he would have to talk to the Beta about it when Niall suddenly let out an exclamation of dismay.

“Who ate the last piece of bacon?”

No one confessed but Dex held out a banana to the blonde, murmuring, “Yum?”

Niall’s glare softened as he reached for the piece of fruit. Louis didn’t miss the way the Beta’s fingers brushed over Dex’s hand, scenting him lightly. 

“You think bananas are good, wait until you try mangoes”, Niall stated solemnly and Dex clapped his hands in response. 

On second thoughts, it looked as if Louis had nothing to worry about when it came to Niall, after all!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The annoying thing about the mornings after the full moon run was that all the wolves were usually up at the crack of dawn, which meant Louis too, naturally, got up earlier than usual.

Today though, it turned out to be a blessing.

“We need to get Dex some clothes and baby supplies”, Louis stated as the pack, sans Harry and Perrie, gathered in the living room of the Manor.

“We have 2 hours before school starts and Jesy’s found us a list of shops that are open before eight. So, unless Harry has something else planned for you lot, we’re dividing this up and going shopping.”

He ignored both the cheers and groans that followed the statement. 

After good-natured bickering and haggling, it was decided that Nick, Aidan and Jesy would go shopping for toddler-appropriate wear while Louis, Niall and Liam would get toys and any other essentials they might need with a toddler in the house.

Cara had volunteered to stay behind with Dex, to greet Harry when he got back. Louis tried not to let his panic show at the fact that Harry was still out on his morning patrol.

It’s not that he believed the Alpha would go back on his promise to stay, especially without his child but…well. He was just a bit paranoid about it. He still had no idea what had happened to make Harry leave London with just Dex and to remain in his wolf form for who knew how long!

“Zayn? Are you coming with us or staying here with Cara?” Louis asked, distractedly, as he tried to pass the suddenly crying toddler to his female Beta.

Dex, having understood that he was to be left behind, was clinging on to Louis with a surprisingly powerful grip for a one and a half year old.

When Louis didn’t get a response from Zayn, he glanced around to see the wolf was staring at him and Dex with a calculating look in his eyes.

“What?” Louis asked, suddenly feeling defensive. 

Zayn’s eyes narrowed as he watched the way Dex was rubbing his cheek against Louis’ shoulder, reminiscent of the other night when he had tried to copy Liam and Harry’s greeting.

To Louis, it just seemed like a cute attempt at mimicking the wolves but Zayn’s instincts told him it was something else entirely. Dex was _scenting_ Louis. The signs were too clear to ignore, especially for a wolf, so the question was, why did a human child feel the need to scent someone that heavily?

If Dex had been a wolf, his actions would have been considered a possessive warning to other wolves to stay away from Louis. Even now, despite Zayn knowing that Dex meant no harm and wasn’t a wolf, his instincts were telling him to submit to the toddler, which was…strange.

“Zayn?” Louis’ voice made him briefly glance away from Dex and towards his Alpha.

“Are you alright?” Louis looked and sounded worried.

Zayn opened his mouth to say ‘yes’ when a thought struck him. He had woken up earlier than the rest of the pack today.

 

When he had opened his eyes, all the wolves had still been curled around each other in the Cuddle…except Perrie. She had been standing by the door, quietly watching them. Or, more specifically, watching Louis, Harry and Dex. 

At Zayn’s eyebrow of question, she had gestured for him to join her in the library.

“Last night,” Perrie had begun, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth as she looked through the shelves of books with a practiced eye, “Did you smell something… _odd_ about the Alpha’s kid?”

“Odd how?” Zayn had asked, confused.

“He smelt…familiar. I can’t quite put my finger on it”, Perrie had stated.

“Well, he smells a bit like the Alpha”, Zayn pointed out but Perrie just shook her head.

“Look, I don’t want to suggest anything to the others…not yet but do me a favour and keep an eye on Dex this morning?”

“Won’t you be around?”

“I’ve got to…go do something. At my house. I’ll see you at school”, Perrie had answered before proceeding to leave the Manor, a worried look in her eye.

It hadn’t made much sense to Zayn at the time but after observing the toddler, he was starting to understand what Perrie might suspect.

Dex smelt different to most human children. Zayn knew that because both his younger sisters were human. Dex also smelt familiar. In fact, he smelt a lot like…

“I, um…just remembered. I told Perrie I’d meet up with her for a…science project”, Zayn tried not to wince at his own shitty ability at lying.

“Before school?”  
And…fuck! That was Liam’s voice, coloured with scepticism and something that sounded like hurt. 

It was difficult enough to lie to his Alpha but to lie to his mate? They weren’t officially mated just yet but Zayn’s wolf had accepted Liam as his long ago and it whined at Zayn’s need to keep Liam in the dark. 

But he couldn’t tell Liam just yet and worry him for no reason. Not until he was certain. Not until he had spoken to Perrie.

“Uh, yeah. We’re being…proactive”, Zayn mumbled and, before Louis or Liam could say anything, he leant over and distracted his mate with a quick kiss, which had the added benefit of silencing his own wolf’s guilt.

Despite Liam’s surprise, the lad only took half a second to respond, arms wrapping around Zayn’s waist as his warm lips took control of the kiss. It was familiar and magical, sending sparks shooting through Zayn the way kissing and touching Liam always did.

Liam gave a quiet moan and Zayn felt his wolf preen in response, delighted at having pulled such a sound from his mate. Liam’s wolf responded with a possessive growl, nipping at Zayn’s bottom lip until the boy parted them with a sigh, granting him access.

“Oh for fuck’s sake!” a mutter that sounded like Nick interrupted them just as Zayn was starting to get lost in the feeling of _Liam_ and _mate_ and _mine_.

He pulled away, biting his lip to hold back the smirk at Liam’s whimper of loss. Even after a year and a half of this, it still astounded him that he had this kind of power over Liam.

Liam threw a disgruntled look in Nick’s general direction and Zayn took that as his exit cue.

Before his mate had regained the ability to ask questions, Zayn slipped out the door, throwing a soft, “See you at school!” to the room in general.

There were a few seconds of silence after the wolf’s abrupt departure.

Louis opened his mouth to ask the pack whether any of them had thought Zayn’s behaviour to be unusually strange but he was distracted by a snarl.

Cara, who had been trying to get Dex to let go of Louis, was standing there with silver eyes, fangs slightly grown and claws threatening to poke through.

“Cara!” Louis shouted, stumbling back slightly from shock.

The Betas very rarely lost control on days that weren’t related to the full moon and even then, it was only during an argument or fight with another werewolf. Cara though, was glaring at Dex, with the eyes of a pure wolf. Whatever this was, she was acting on instincts alone.

The pack, who had tensed at her snarl, now let out confused growls, both wanting to protect their pack member and yet, not understanding what the apparent threat was.

Cara growled softly, warningly and Louis’ arms tightened around Dex without conscious thought.

“Cara, love. Please, calm down. I can’t leave you alone with Dex if you can’t get yourself under control.”

The toddler, who had been having an intense staring competition with Cara, suddenly blinked up at Louis with a dimpled smile. 

“Stay”, Dex stated, firmly and clearly before nuzzling his cheek against Louis’, a cherubic smile playing on his face.

“He _challenged_ me!” Cara, who had managed to wrestle back control over her wolf side, accused, eyes narrowed and fixed on Dex.

A collective silence followed her statement, with Niall actually whining in confusion and moving closer to Louis, as if being near the Alpha would help him get a clearer understanding of what was going on.

“Cara,” Louis said, softly, “Dex is a baby. Even if he wanted to, there’s no way he could challenge you”.

“He did!” Cara growled, calming down slightly when Jesy grabbed her hand, “He flashed his eyes at me! Except they weren’t silver. They were-”

“Do you honestly expect us to believe that a kid who’s still learning how to speak tried to challenge a Beta werewolf?” Nick scoffed, rolling his eyes.

Cara hesitated, her eyes darting between Louis and Dex, brows furrowed.

“Not to mention the fact that he’s a _human_ kid”, Aidan added, “You probably just imagined it”.

“A trick of the light, maybe?” Jesy suggested.

The uncertainty on Cara’s face grew and finally, she shrugged, letting out a soft sigh.

“I…maybe. I’m not sure. I just overreacted.”

“None of us are used to having a child around the Manor”, Louis soothed the Beta by brushing a hand over her hair, “Your wolf’s probably reacting to that”.

“Maybe”, Cara said again before biting her lip, “But…if you don’t mind, Alpha, can you take Dex with you?”

“Yeah, of course”, Louis quickly agreed. 

After witnessing the way Cara had lost control of her wolf, Louis had been planning on suggesting that himself.

“Okay then”, Liam grabbed his car keys and threw them to Nick, “Shall we get started on the shopping?”

Cuddled against Louis’ shoulder, Dex let out a sigh of content.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Louis was having trouble focusing on his Science lesson because, as _fascinating_ as organic chemistry was, his attention was on the strange feeling that had settled in his gut since lunch.

When the pack had gotten back from shopping, Harry had still been missing. Louis clearly hadn’t managed to keep his worry to himself for Nick and Aidan immediately volunteered to stay back at the Manor, brushing comforting touches over Louis’ shoulder.

“He’ll be back”, Liam had reminded him on the drive to school and Louis had nodded, wishing he believed it more.

Dex had been unhappy, to say the least, when Louis had left the Manor. His shrill cries had almost made Louis want to stay and skip school for the day but Nick had pushed him out the door with a firm, “See you after school”, before he could protest.

When he’d gotten to school, he hadn’t caught sight of either Zayn or Perrie, which was odd but he was shepherded off to his first class by Jesy before he could comment on it.

Louis had spent the whole day so far with a slightly uneasy feeling brewing at the pit of his stomach but over the last five minutes, that feeling had grown in proportion. Considerably.

He stood up abruptly in class, ignoring the looks his fellow students were throwing his way.

“Can I please be excused?” he mumbled to the teacher, Mrs.Jenson, “I don’t feel too well”.

She looked over at him with annoyance on her pursed lips that quickly turned into a look of concern.

“Of course!” she almost rushed to fill out a slip to excuse him, not even protesting when Niall stood up and offered to act as his escort to the Nurse’s office.

Louis didn’t even pause to check whether Niall was behind him as he headed towards the parking lot.

“Alpha!” Niall’s voice made him slow his steps briefly, letting the Beta catch up to him.

“Are you okay? You’ve gone really pale. Mrs. Jenson probably thought you’d throw up in her classroom!”

The Beta reached out to place a hand on Louis’ forehead, as if he had the expertise to manually check his temperature.

“Something’s wrong”, Louis whispered, frowning at his own confident tone.

“How do you know?” Niall asked, confusion evident in his voice.

“I just _do_!” Louis snapped, reaching his car and pulling open the door, “I can feel it”.

Niall nodded as if that made perfect sense and jumped into the passenger seat. 

“You don’t have to…there’s still an hour left of school”, Louis sighed, not wanting to cause anyone else to skip the afternoon because of, what might just end up being, paranoia.

Niall shrugged and buckled himself in.

“I’m with you, Alpha”, he stated, firmly and Louis took a second to reach over and ruffle his Beta’s hair.

The blonde grinned and nuzzled against his hand in response. He busied himself on his phone as Louis peeled out of the school parking lot and headed towards the Manor. The feeling in his gut grew.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“What the fuck’s going on?” Niall uttered the words Louis was thinking as they came to a stop in front of the Manor.

The front door was wide open, which was strange enough but what was more worrying were the loud growls that were reverberating from within.

Niall cocked his head to the side for a second before he turned to Louis with wide eyes.

“It’s Aidan’s voice.”

Louis forced himself to stay calm as he hurried out of the car, towards the sound.

Niall was hot on his heels and they both burst into the living room, half-expecting to see some kind of feral wolf chasing their pack members around. The actuality though, was even more disturbing.

The first thing Louis noticed were the three werewolves- Nick, Aidan and Zayn, all standing shoulder to shoulder. Aidan’s eyes were flashing and Nick had grabbed ahold of his arm as if to prevent him from lunging at…

Louis’ breath caught in his throat as he saw Dex, sitting alone in the centre of what appeared to be a circle of grey powder.

Louis heard the squeal of tires on the driveway and heard Niall’s mutter of, “I thought we might need the rest of the pack”, but all he could focus on was the way in which three of his Betas were glaring at Harry’s child.

Dex looked at him the moment he entered the room, holding out his hands with tears in his eyes.

“ _What_ did you do?” Louis nearly growled the words.

His anger seemed to physically hurt the wolves, for Zayn and Niall both flinched.

Nick and Aidan, being older, managed to stand their ground.

“We didn’t touch him”, Nick promised.

At Dex’s whimper of need, Louis stepped forward, into the circle. He barely heard Zayn, Aidan and Nick’s collective shout of, “No!” before Dex was in his arms, burying his face against Louis’ neck.

“Explain,” Louis said, voice steely as he faced the three Betas, “Why you left a toddler in a circle of….”

“Silver”, Nick clarified, “We have our reasons, Alpha”.

“Put him down, Alpha”, Aidan growled, eyes on Dex, “He’s dangerous”.

“I would like to know exactly how a toddler could be considered dangerous”, Louis gritted out, arms tightening around the child, whose tears were now drying against his skin.

He felt a warm tendril of emotion unfurl through his body when a familiar, deep drawl that he had only heard in his dreams for the last two years, said, “So would I”.

Louis’ head turned in the direction of the voice so fast, he wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d gotten whiplash. There, with his brunette hair falling loosely around his shoulders, stood Harry, in all his human glory. If Louis ignored the thinner frame of his body and the dark lines of exhaustion under the wolf’s eyes, he could have almost pretended no time had gone by since Harry last stood by the very same doorway, teasing Louis about his FIFA skills.

But he could tell time had passed from just the way Harry held himself- tall and confidently. Standing there with Liam, Jesy, Cara and Niall behind him, he looked every bit the Alpha he was born to be. 

It made something akin to pride swell in Louis’ chest as he breathed out his name.

“Harry.” 

Harry’s gaze met his then and the corner of his lips curled upwards into a soft smile. 

“He likes you”, Harry murmured and it took Louis a moment to realise he was talking about Dex, who had curled up against his body.

“I like him too”, Louis answered, surprised to find that he truly meant it.

It didn’t make sense, really. He had expected to feel a greater sense of resentment for the child who had, essentially, been the primary cause for Harry abandoning his pack and moving to a different city. But whenever Louis looked at Dex, he felt nothing but warm affection.

It had only been a day but he knew that if Harry and Dex left tomorrow, his life would feel a lot emptier.

He glanced back at Harry, only to find that the Alpha was already staring back at him, eyes full of an emotion Louis could only describe as ‘tender’. 

Louis took a step forward, absently brushing his foot against the outline of silver that surrounded him and Dex. 

“Wait!” Zayn shouted but Louis had already stepped clear of the circle.

He heard Nick’s shocked voice say, “I thought you said it would trap the kid!”

“That’s what Perrie told me!” Zayn snarled back, “She’s _never_ wrong!”

Louis’ attention was brought back to Harry when he heard the wolf growl, his tone entirely Alpha, “ _What_ do you mean by ‘trap the kid’?”

Harry turned to Nick, who looked a lot more submissive now that Harry’s gaze was on him, “Nicholas, explain!”

Nick opened his mouth, unable to disobey a direct command by his Alpha but Zayn beat him to it, his voice cold in a way Louis had seldom heard.

“I think the one who should be doing the explaining here is you, _Harry_.”

Louis’ eyes widened and behind Harry, he could see his expression being mirrored in Liam’s face.

“Zayn!” Liam hissed, glancing between his mate and the Alpha, nervously, “H..he didn’t mean that, Alpha”.

Ever since Anne had passed away, none of the Betas had ever called Harry anything other than ‘Alpha’. It was a sign that they accepted and welcomed his leadership, a sign that they were a willing part of his pack. Zayn was challenging him now, accusing him of not being fit enough to lead the pack until he had explained…what, exactly?

“Actually, I did, Liam”, Zayn answered, sparing his terrified mate a quick look of apology, before facing Harry again, “You’re supposed to be our Alpha so why did you feel the need to lie about this? Did you seriously think none of us would figure it out?”

Figure _what_ out? Louis was getting more lost as the conversation went on.

“We’re supposed to be a pack”, Zayn continued, Nick and Aidan nodding along with him, “You once told me that meant keeping no secrets. Or do you not care about that anymore? Did you forget everyone and everything you used to care about while you were off in London with Taylor?”

There was a collective intake of breath from the pack. No one _ever_ said that woman’s name. Not since Harry had left. Even now, the sound of it made Louis want to punch something. Instead, he tightened his arms around Dex, who was eerily quiet as the confrontation between Beta and Alpha went down, almost as if he understood what it was about.

“Zayn!” Liam’s growl sounded more like a plead this time but his mate ignored him, eyes fixed on Harry.

“Just smell the kid, Liam!” Zayn answered, pointing at Dex.

The other Betas were sniffing the air now, eyes widening as they all clued into whatever it was Zayn was speaking about.

“Last night, we were all too exhausted to notice but he smells exactly like-”

“Louis”, it was Jesy who whispered the word and all eyes fell on Louis and Dex.

“Well, duh!” Louis laughed but no one joined him, “I’m _holding_ him! Of course he’s gonna smell like me!”

“No, it’s deeper than that”, Liam murmured, eyes trained on the toddler, “It’s not just a surface scent. It’s…it’s in his blood. He smells like…you and…”.

Liam trailed off, shooting a look at Harry.

“What?” Louis chuckled again but it was more strained this time, “That doesn’t make any sense. I’m starting to think the lot of you somehow managed to get drunk!”

He looked towards Harry, hoping the werewolf would step in and stop the barrel of nonsense the Betas were spouting but Harry looked…unbothered.

“You _owe_ him an answer!” Zayn growled, eyes flashing, “You owe all of us an answer!”

Harry growled but turned to Louis, eyes furrowed with confusion.

“He’s always smelt that way.”

“That’s not…how can…Dex isn’t _his_ child!” Aidan’s voice sounded close to furious.

Harry gave the Beta a warning growl, whether at the tone or words, Louis couldn’t tell.

“This doesn’t make any sense”, Louis whispered, his voice coming out strangled.

He had managed to hold his questions in last night but today, with Harry back to human form and the latest development, he felt he was owed some answers.

“Just…tell us what happened with Taylor, Harry”, Louis finally said, “Why are you and Dex not with her pack still? Why doesn’t he smell like her?”

Louis expected to see regret or guilt or anger in Harry’s eyes. He was almost expecting to be growled at or to have the wolf stalk off and ignore his question entirely. But Harry’s green eyes found his and in them, he saw only confusion.

“Taylor”, Harry said the name quietly, almost unsurely, “Who’s Taylor, Lou?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who saw _that_ coming? If you're confused, I've done my job right. I promise things shall be explained in upcoming chapters!  
>  As always, please let me know your thoughts on this chapter with a comment. Kudos are lovely too! <3 xx


	5. V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of the kudos and comments for this fic so far have blown me away! I just want to let you all know that I’m incredibly thankful to you for sticking with me in between updates. I know how annoying WIPs can be! I appreciate every single one of you for your never-ending patience!  
> This chapter is my way of thanking you. Hope you like it! :) xx

Louis remembered the time when he was thirteen and his grandmother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. The doctors had told them it was a disorder that affected the brain and that she would eventually lose most of her memories.

He hadn’t entirely understood it at the time and hadn’t seen the big deal about her misplacing her car keys or occasionally forgetting his name…until the weekend after he had gotten on the school’s football team. He remembered rushing over to tell her the good news and thank her for always believing in him.

His grandfather had hugged him at the door and, when he’d asked after grandma, cryptically stated, “She’s having a bad day today, love”.

Louis had only understood his meaning when he had walked into her room and she had given him a polite, unsure smile.

“I’m in the football team!” he had grinned but his grandmother just gave him another, uncertain smile.

After a minute, she interrupted his story of shooting three goals during try-outs to ask, “I’m sorry but…have we met before?”

He had run out of the house, holding back tears. It was Harry who had found him, hiding in the old treehouse they had built together.

“She doesn’t know who I am!” Louis had cried as the werewolf gathered him in his arms, rocking him gently, “She’s forgotten me!”

For once, Harry hadn’t had words of encouragement or optimism to offer. Instead, he had held the younger boy in a comforting embrace and whispered, “You’re going to be okay, Lou”.

Louis had sobbed against his shoulder for what felt like hours. It never occurred to him to ask how Harry had known he was upset. Perhaps his mum had called the wolf? At the time, it hadn’t mattered much.

As he clung onto Harry, the steady feel of the werewolf’s heart grounding him, he calmed down enough to realise what his real worry was.

“W..will everyone forget things when they get older?Will you…?”

Louis had trailed off, not wanting to voice the question out loud:

_Will you forget who I am?_

But, of course, Harry heard the unspoken question in Louis’ tone. He had made a pained whine then and gathered Louis even closer.

“I wouldn’t!” Harry had said, vehemently “I could _never_ forget you”.

“But what if-”

“Werewolves can’t get human diseases, Lou. Not like that. We can heal ourselves.”

Louis had mulled it over for a few minutes before wiping away his last remaining tears and whispering, “So, you’ll never lose your memories?”

“Never”, Harry had stated confidently and, sitting there in the wolf’s lap with their childhood treehouse hiding them from the world, it had been an easy promise to believe.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

**_“Taylor”, Harry said the name quietly, almost unsurely, “Who’s Taylor, Lou?”_**

The silence in the room after Harry’s statement was overwhelming. Even Aidan, who had been vibrating with anger, looked take aback. Whatever confession he had been expecting, it had clearly not been this.

“W..what?” Louis asked, faintly.

“I don’t understand”, Liam stated, rather unhelpfully.

Harry frowned at his pack’s confusion, looking to Nick for an explanation. 

“Taylor’s…” Nick gulped, shooting Louis an almost apologetic glance before saying, “She’s the mother of your child”.

Harry’s eyes widened and Louis noted the strange glazed look enter them again. Harry stared at Nick, then at Louis, then at Dex before finally, settling back on his Beta. His voice, when he spoke, contained anger.

“Do you think that’s _funny_?!” Harry growled and Nick shook his head quickly, glancing away from the Alpha and tilting his head in submission.

“Alpha,” Jesy spoke with a hesitant voice, “Nick isn’t lying”.

“Yes, he is!” Harry snarled and, at the very real possibility of a fight, Louis stepped in. 

“Harry,” Louis glanced away from the Alpha as he spoke, “They’re right. Dex is yours and…”  
He couldn’t say her name again.

“No”, Harry whispered and Louis saw something like shocked remorse in his eyes, “No, I wouldn’t! I…I _couldn’t_ have-”

“But you did”, Louis cut across and he tried not to wince at how bitter his words sounded. 

The Betas stepped around Harry, moving towards Louis as if to offer him their comfort but Louis stopped them with a shake of his head. He didn’t need comfort. He wasn’t even entirely sure why the thought of Harry and Taylor being together upset him so much. Or…alright, maybe he did know why. 

He might have had a tiny crush on Harry back when he had been seventeen. A voice in his head pointed out that he hadn’t entirely gotten over said crush. There was, after all, a reason his heartbeat sped up whenever he saw the older man and even now, despite having gained two more years of maturity, Louis couldn’t deny the fact that Harry was still his definition of a ‘perfect’ boyfriend. Except, obviously, Harry had never seen him that way and his escapade with Taylor had only served to cement this fact.

Louis was utterly endeared by Dex but the thought of the boy’s mother still made him angry and sad and weary- a combination of feelings he couldn’t put a single, collective name to. 

Louis was certain that his feelings for his best friend would eventually fade back to ones of mere friendship. At seventeen, he had blamed the feelings on hormones; at nineteen, he was going to blame it on the fact he hadn’t seen Harry in such a long time.

Louis pushed that thought aside and focused on the current problem. Harry was still shaking his head, in the depths of denial.

“Harry, Dex is your son, right?” Louis began, waiting patiently until Harry nodded, eyes wide and fixed on Louis as if his word were the gospel.

“And you remember leaving m..the pack to move to London?”

Harry nodded again, slower.

“Okay,” Louis took a deep breath as he soldiered on, ignoring the hurt that was growing in his heart as he said the next words, “Now, think about the _reason_ you had to leave. Do you recall the day you…found out she was pregnant? And how you went to live with the Swift pack so you could be a good dad to Dex?”

Louis couldn’t entirely hide the hurt in his tone when he added, “You didn’t even keep in touch with any of us, Hazza”.

Harry opened his mouth and then shut it again, his eyes going blank and distant for a second before returning to their normal green.

“I don’t…I don’t remember any of that”, the wolf whispered, a panicked look entering his eyes at the realisation, “The last thing I remember is the forest. Running from a threat”.

“What threat?” Louis asked, feeling a sense of fear creep over his skin.

Had Harry eliminated this threat or was it possibly the same pack of rogues that Alpha Montgomery had warned him about? Had they been after Harry and Dex? And if so, why?

“I…I’m not sure”, Harry’s eyes looked half crazed as he started to pace along the Manor’s floor, “I know we’ve been hiding out in the forest, moving locations every few days because it wasn’t safe. Dex was just a baby when that started but I can’t recall who or what we were running from!”

“How about before that?” Louis questioned, keeping his voice soft to prevent Harry from freaking out further, “What do you remember before the forest?” 

Louis tried not to show how ill-equipped he was to deal with such a situation. The pack were counting on him to sort this out. _Harry_ was counting on him, if that desperate, haunted look on his face was any indication.

“Needing to go…somewhere. London? It was…there was this pull that made me want to go there”, Harry murmured, coming to a standstill, “I remember saying goodbye to the pack”.

His eyes caught Louis’ as he finished, “And promising you I’d come back”.

Louis felt his throat clog up with emotion but he managed to contain himself. The Betas were silent for once, gazes shifting between Harry and Louis, unsure.

“I don’t _remember_ , Lou”, Harry’s voice cracked as he spoke, “I don’t remember my son being born! He …he smelt like pack so I just…my wolf accepted him as mine but I don’t remember any of it! Now that I’m consciously thinking about it, everything’s patchy, as if I’m missing days… _months_ of time between memories”.

Louis tried not to show how worrying a fact that was as he stepped closer to the wolf. He held out a hand and, as he had always used to do, Harry folded himself into his arms, eagerly accepting the comfort. Dex giggled happily between them but Louis’ focus stayed on Harry, who was currently inhaling his scent as if that would help him recall every memory he had forgotten.

“Well, this complicates matters slightly”, Niall muttered in a half-hearted attempt to lighten the atmosphere but for once, not even their youngest Beta could bring a smile to anyone’s face.

“But…it’s all going to be okay, right?” Zayn enquired, softly and Louis could see guilt and regret in his expression at having made assumptions about Harry keeping a secret. 

There was also worry there, which was mirrored by every wolf in the room. Worry and panic, triggered by their Alpha’s reaction.

Louis opened his mouth to answer but his attention was pulled back by Harry, whose breaths were getting shorter and more desperate. He could tell the Alpha was on the verge of losing control and shifting so he shot a stern look at the Betas.

“Give us a minute alone, please.”

Aidan was the only one who seemed to hesitate at the command, throwing a nervous and worried glance at the pair. It was sweet, in a way, how protective his Beta was of him but even if Harry did lose control and shift, Louis was confident his life wouldn’t be in danger. 

He had spent time around Harry’s wolf since the age of six and not once had he feared for his life. Aidan, despite outwardly having accepted Harry’s leadership after his mother had passed away, had always been closer to Anne Styles. Louis wondered if that was the reason he still didn’t blindly trust Harry the way the other wolves did. Was it because he remembered the friendly, clumsy, confused child that Harry had been when his mother had still been the Alpha?

Even so, it irked Louis to think that just because Harry had lost parts of his memory, Aidan was suddenly suspicious of him.

Louis was about to order Aidan out of the room when Nick grabbed the Beta’s arm and growled at him to move. Liam came forward, holding his arms out for Dex, questioningly.

A part of Louis protested, wanting to keep the child with him and Harry, where he knew Dex would be safe but he also knew that Liam would never let any harm come to the boy. Still, what if one of the other Betas considered Dex to be a threat of some sort?

Louis’ memory of Cara’s earlier lapse of control was still fresh in his mind. 

“He’ll be with me the whole time”, Liam promised, instinctively knowing what was worrying their leader, “I’ll keep him safe, I swear!”

It was only the fact that Harry was starting to let out shuddering breaths that made Louis hand Dex over. He knew Harry hated to show weakness in front of the Betas and right now, with Harry so vulnerable, Louis felt it was his responsibility to keep the Alpha’s reputation intact. He shot Liam a grateful look when the wolf led the rest of the Betas out of the Manor, closing the door behind them.

Their footsteps receded and Louis knew they were moving further away, out of earshot. The Betas were trusting Louis with their Alpha, so much so that they were giving them complete privacy. 

“Louis, Lou”, Harry whimpered the moment he could no longer hear the rest of his pack and, without even thinking about it, Louis moved one of his hands to the nape of the wolf’s neck, stroking the skin there with his thumb until he felt Harry’s panic recede slightly.

“Why can’t I remember anything?” Harry whispered, letting out a confused whine, “What happened to me, Lou?”

It was a question Louis very much wished he knew the answer to.

“We’ll figure it out, Hazza”, he whispered back and Harry seemed to relax, as if Louis’ assurance was all he needed. 

For a few moments, they just stood there, holding onto each other as Harry regained control over his wolf. Eventually, Harry was the one who pulled away with one last sniff.

Louis was relieved to note his eyes had returned to their normal, bright green. He wondered if the other wolves had noticed the way Harry’s eyes sometimes changed and became more wolf than human, as if he were constantly struggling to maintain control over his Alpha side. He reminded himself to ask Perrie and Zayn, both of whom had read the Manor’s extensive library collection on the supernatural, to have a look into it. 

Harry still wore a haunted expression on his face so, in an attempt to distract him, Louis removed the necklace containing the Styles family crest from around his neck.

“Now that you’re back, this rightfully belongs to you”, Louis forced a grin on his face as he held out the necklace.

His neck already felt bare and cold without it. For some reason, it was difficult to give it away, even though it was going back to its original owner. Harry though, just took a step back and shook his head.

“It’s yours now, Lou”, he stated.

Louis frowned.

“But…it was your mother’s”, Louis saw the flash of familiar pain flicker across Harry’s features at the reminder of his mum.

He hurriedly carried on, “It’s meant to stay with the pack’s Alpha. That’s always been the tradition”.

“It is with the pack’s Alpha”, Harry answered and his voice sounded almost normal again.

“I’m not…”

“You’ve proven yourself more than capable for the role in the time I’ve been away. The pack’s closer than ever, the Betas respect and adore you. And Dex…”

Louis felt a wave of warmth go through him at the realisation that Harry was using the nickname he had given to his son.

“Dex doesn’t trust any of the other wolves”, Harry murmured, “He’s restless around them, wary. But he was taken with you from the moment you said hello to him. You earned his trust with just a smile”.

He chuckled softly, reaching out a hand to brush against Louis’ arm, almost subconsciously, as he spoke.

“I once overheard my Mum telling Alpha Montgomery that you had the makings of an Alpha”, Harry continued with a smile, “She was right. You remind me of her, sometimes”.

And that was possibly the highest compliment a human pack member could get. Louis though, wasn’t convinced.

“Hazza,” Louis mumbled, glancing down at his own shoes, “I could never be a proper Alpha. I’m just human”.

And there it was. The biggest insecurity Louis had experienced during his time as the pack’s Alpha. Despite him being there to offer comfort and the Betas being protective of him, at the end of the day, he was just a human. When it came down to it, he was more a liability than a help.

“You’re not _just_ anything!” Harry’s snarl made him jump and he looked up, startled, to see Harry’s eyes were narrowed, sharper, focused.

Louis took in a shaky breath as he realised he wasn’t talking to just Harry anymore. He was talking to the Alpha werewolf of the Styles pack, a title that demanded both submission and respect.

Anyone who had any sense would have backed off right then and agreed with whatever Harry said but Louis had never been one to run in the face of a challenge.

“I’m human! If a real threat had come while you were away, what could I have done? I can’t fight for shit!” Harry growled in disagreement but Louis ignored him, “A pack can’t be led by a human Alpha, Harry. I can’t keep this”.

He held out the necklace again but Harry gave a low growl and, before Louis knew it, he was being backed against the nearest object. He was thankful that said object happened to be a sofa and not a wall or something equally bruising.

Harry’s arm came around his waist in a firm grip, keeping him in place. Louis knew his heart was racing out of control and he wasn’t entirely certain why he suddenly felt hot all over. While his mind was trying to puzzle it out, his arms had placed themselves against Harry’s chest, not trying to keep the wolf at bay but simply resting there.

Before Louis could move them, Harry began to speak, his voice still more a wolfish growl than clear diction.

“You’re more than just a human”, Harry rumbled, eyes flashing as if daring Louis to disagree, “You’re family, you’re pack. You’re _everything_ ”.

Louis wasn’t proud of the soft whine he let slip out but it seemed to appeal to Harry’s wolf for the man moved closer, nudging Louis’ jaw with his nose until the boy tilted it back.

Louis tried not to shudder with pleasure as Harry’s mouth trailed over his neck, tracing every curve. On a conscious level, Louis knew it was the Alpha’s way of scent-marking him to provide him with reassurance that he was, indeed, pack, but on a much more primal level, Louis’ lower regions were starting to take an interest in the proceedings. Shit!

Louis wanted to push Harry away before he developed an awkwardly timed boner but he could feel the wolf calming down the more he breathed in Louis’ scent. He couldn’t take that comfort away from his best friend! And, if he were being honest, he didn’t really want Harry to move away just yet.

After two years of not being able to hug Harry, the Alpha’s touch awoke something within him that was both familiar and new. Harry’s touch was as addictive to Louis as his scent was to the wolf.

“Lou,” Harry’s voice was still deep, hoarse, but it was no longer a possessive growl, “Our pack is lucky to have you as their Alpha. _Never_ doubt that”.

Louis opened his mouth to laugh it off but Harry chose that moment to run his lips over a particularly sensitive region of the younger man’s neck and what came out was a soft, pleasured moan.

Louis’ entire face burned the moment he realised he’d made such a noise. Harry had frozen in his movements but he didn’t move away. His warm breath came out in soft pants, brushing over Louis’ skin lightly and causing goosebumps to erupt there. Then, just as Louis was starting to trick his body into successfully ignoring the werewolf ’s nuzzling, Harry pressed his lips over the same region of his neck again, almost teasingly.

Louis managed to bite his lip to stop the moan this time but his hands clenched of their own volition on Harry’s shirt.

“Louis,” Harry groaned, the Alpha timbre reverberating around the room.

Louis tried to answer but when he opened his mouth, all he managed to do was take a shuddering breath.

It was then that Harry moved back, with such speed that Louis nearly fell forwards. Standing there, with his shoulders hunched over and his eyes on the ground, Harry looked…guilty?

“I…sorry. I’m sorry”, Harry stammered out, running a hand over his curls the way he always did when agitated, “I just…my wolf hasn’t had human contact in…a while. Y..you know how tactile it is”.

Louis tried not to be disappointed. This was ridiculous! He _knew_ Harry didn’t see him as anything more than a friend so no such feelings of disappointment should have arisen from the man’s statement. 

Doing what he did best, Louis ignored the problem with the hopes that it would go away.

“Yeah, no…don’t worry about it. Glad to help!”

He glanced around desperately for a change of topic and his eyes landed on the necklace he still had clutched in one hand.

“Harry, this is your pack. I can’t…I _won’t_ take that away from you”, Louis held out the necklace again but Harry didn’t even glance at it.

Instead, he was giving Louis a look filled with exasperation.

“You’re not taking anything away, Lou. We can both share the role of Alpha. Divide the responsibilities. Especially with my memory being…” Harry trailed off, cleared his throat as he said, “We’re still the Dream Team, right?”

It was a name they had jokingly been called by Anne and Jay when they had both been children. It stemmed from a time when they had pulled a prank on Nick, while the man had been in the shower.

Nick had walked out with a red face and green hair, prompting Harry to enquire whether he was planning on trying out for the part of an apple in Louis’ school play. Anne had scolded Harry for saying that but Louis had burst into peals of laughter, which Harry later insisted, had been worth getting grounded for.

“Who did it?” Nick had asked, glaring around the kitchen and both Jay and Anne had responded with, “The Dream Team. Who else?”

Louis and Harry had used that name for years afterwards but Louis hadn’t heard Harry mention it since his mother’s death. Until now.

“Of course we are”, Louis answered, a grin finding its way onto his face but it faded when he realised the practical problem, “Except…a pack can’t have two Alphas. That’s not how the hierarchy works. Your wolf’s going to end up hating me!”

“No,” Harry shook his head, taking a step closer, “It’s…I don’t know how to explain it but having you sharing the role feels _right_. It…it makes my wolf happy”.

Harry took a deep breath, the way he always did before he had to voice something uncomfortable.

“My wolf acknowledges you as an Alpha, Louis”, he said with no hesitation in his tone, as if this was something he had decided on long ago, “And so do I. We _need_ you. I…”.

He trailed off and when he spoke again, Louis could tell he was holding something back.

“It’s rare to have more than one Alpha in the pack but not unheard of. Usually, one would submit to the other, to prevent their inner wolf from feeling challenged, to understand their place in the hierarchy.”

Louis nodded slowly, Harry’s words making sense. He waited for the wolf to ask him to submit. He would, of course. Harry had always been his Alpha.

Before he could understand what was happening, Harry had gotten down on his knees with his head tilted back to reveal the pale column of his throat, the most vulnerable area of a werewolf’s body.

“So, will you be my Alpha?”, Harry finished, keeping his eyes closed as if he expected Louis to immediately take him up on that offer.

Louis wasn’t a werewolf but a part of him, the part that could look past the shock caused by Harry’s words, longed to reach for man, to skim his lips down the long line of his neck, to accept his submission, which was a sign of the utmost trust in a pack. But another part of him wanted the opposite, wanted to submit to Harry and have the Alpha make him feel safe and secure, wanted to ensure that Harry knew how brilliant an Alpha he was and that a slight loss of memory hadn’t impacted on his leadership skills in any way. 

“D..does your wolf feel…challenged by me?” Louis asked, his voice coming out raspy for reasons he couldn’t explain.

Harry whined at the sound but shook his head.

“No. You’ve…my wolf’s used to you challenging me. That’s the way it’s been since we were kids. You’ve never simply taken an order. I don’t feel the need to fight you for the lead in the pack hierarchy.”

“Then, no. I won’t be your Alpha”, Louis sunk to his own knees, hands reaching out to touch Harry’s face and the wolf’s eyes blinked open, filled with hurt, even as he leant into the touch with a soft sigh, “We’ll be each other’s Alphas. It’s how it’s always been, innit? We’re just putting an official title to it now. The Dream Team, remember?”

Harry made a soft noise that sounded a lot like a purr of agreement but Louis was more focused on the arm that was suddenly around his waist, pulling him forward and against the werewolf.

“Scent me”, Harry’s words were a low growl of…want? Need? Maybe Louis was projecting.

Louis decided not to question it and gave in to his own primal instincts. He curled a hand into Harry’s hair, tugging it back slightly to expose more of the wolf’s throat and Harry’s eyes fluttered shut as a pleased rumble left his mouth. Easily accepting of the younger man, trusting Louis not to hurt him.

When Louis moved his lips to Harry’s throat, the Alpha seemed to melt in his arms, the tension in his body draining out. Louis took his time to scent the wolf, slowly dragging his lips across the soft, warm skin, from collarbone to jaw. He could have used his hands but he remembered Anne once telling him that a scent left by the lips lasted longer. She had used to press kisses to both his and Harry’s forehead to maintain the scent of pack on them.

Louis finally moved back after placing a quick kiss against Harry’s cheek, a gesture that had used to be customary between them as children.

He didn’t manage to move far though, before Harry was nosing at his neck, pressing firmer kisses down the smooth column. Louis tried his hardest not to get aroused but he wasn’t sure how well he succeeded. Harry gave no indication of being aware of his arousal though, which Louis was thankful for.

When the wolf finally moved back, he reached for the necklace in Louis’ hands. Louis couldn’t stop himself from blushing when Harry slipped it back onto his neck with a fond look in his eyes.

“Alpha Tomlinson”, Harry stated formally and Louis had to fight the urge not to laugh.

It sounded strange coming from Harry, as if it were more a term of endearment than one that held any real power.

“Alpha Styles”, Louis replied and his own words sounded even more fond than Harry’s had.

“Should we call the others back?” Louis asked, making to move towards the door but Harry’s touch on his arm made him stop.

“I can hear them. They’ll be back in a couple of minutes”, Harry answered.

“Well then,” Louis grinned, “Better get the best seats in the house while we still have the chance!”

Of course, Louis went for the comfy armchair, just to gloat about it and, as he had expected, Harry got to it first. 

Louis gave a put upon sigh and made to grab a seat on the sofa but Harry growled playfully and grabbed Louis’ arm, pulling him onto his lap. 

It was a position Louis had always claimed before Harry’s departure and, sitting there again, it almost felt as if no time had passed.

“Stay”, Harry murmured, his arms coming around Louis securely when he tried to wriggle away. 

Just to be difficult, Louis felt the need to say, “You can’t boss me around!” even as he melted against the older man’s embrace.

“I never could”, Harry chuckled, “I wouldn’t want to, Lou”.

And, just like that, Louis was assured that nothing between them had changed. 

Both being Alphas, there being a possible threat on the horizon, Dex smelling like the two of them for no conceivable reason; none of it mattered right at this moment because Harry was here to stay and the world felt right again.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Louis wasn’t surprised when Perrie showed up with the other Betas. He had already figured that Zayn, Nick or Aidan would have given her a call and updated her on what had happened.

He was, however, surprised when Liam’s eyes fell on him and Harry and a delighted smile crept onto the Beta’s face.

Before Louis could question it, Harry started speaking.

“Where’s Dex?”

“In the kitchen”, Liam answered, pointing towards the room in question, “He wanted a banana”.

Louis made a mental note to buy more bananas. Possibly a whole supermarket’s worth at the rate they were going!

“He likes the new highchair”, Jesy added.

Harry raised a questioning eyebrow at Louis.

“I figured you’d need baby supplies”, he answered and the way Harry’s hand squeezed his thigh felt a lot like a silent ‘thank you’.

“So, who would like to explain?” Harry asked, as if continuing a conversation.

Eight sets of blank eyes stared back at him, all vaguely confused.

“About the circle of silver that was surrounding a toddler”, Louis clarified, understanding Harry’s train of thought better than the Betas. 

“We were just-” Aidan began but Perrie cut across him.

“It was my idea, Alphas”, she started, keeping her gaze on the ground as if scared of the reaction she would receive, “When I smelt Dex last night, it didn’t make any sense to me that he hadn’t retained any of his mother’s scent…so I did some research”.

She held up a small black book that Louis was certain Harry had bought her for her sixteenth birthday.

“In this, there’s a chapter on mages”, she continued, “They’re magical beings, similar to witches. It’s rare for a mage to be born into a werewolf pack but it has happened in the past. Mages are, almost always, dark creatures, overcome by their desire for greater power”.

She paused and Louis knew why. He could feel Harry’s body drawn in a hard line, tense with anger.

“You thought,” Harry stated slowly, enunciating each word, “That my son was a dark creature?”

“No!” Perrie shook her head, eyes slightly fearful, “Not…I suspected there was something different about him. This was just one possibility. The easiest to test out. The circle wouldn’t have hurt him even if he _were_ a mage. It was just supposed to prevent him from being able to cross the line”.

“But he did step out of the circle”, Louis quickly reminded the room at large, subtly squeezing Harry’s arm to calm him down, “So he can’t be a mage”.

Perrie nodded.

“I realise that. I haven’t formulated any other theories yet”, she answered.

“The next time you do come up with a theory, let one of us know _before_ you decide to test it out on a two year old, alright?” Louis stated and Perrie nodded, chastised.

Zayn, Nick and Aidan looked ashamed as well although, in Aidan’s case, it just made him look sullen. 

“He’s not two yet”, Harry murmured and Louis turned to him, a spark of hope in his chest.

“You remember?”

Harry shook his head, a frown marring his features.

“No, I just…bits and pieces keep flitting around in my mind. I don’t remember Dex being born but I’m pretty sure I celebrated his first birthday last October. He…uh, tried strawberries for the first time.”

Louis made a mental note to add strawberries to the pack shopping list.

“So, he’d be about one and a half then”, Zayn summarised and Harry nodded, leaning against Louis more firmly as if he were exhausted from recollecting that tiny bit of information.

“Alright,” Louis took charge, understanding without Harry having to tell him that the wolf was tired, “All of you should spend the rest of the day catching up on sleep and unwinding. Everyone’s too exhausted after yesterday’s run to do any proper brainstorming today. And until we figure out what’s happened with Harry’s memory, we treat Dex as part of the pack, regardless of his scent”.

“Well, I mean…he does smell like pack”, Zayn conceded, his gaze briefly flitting to Harry and Louis before he ducked his head again.

“Good! Then no one should have any problem treating him as such”, Louis finished.

He got nods and murmurs of assent from the Betas and, at Harry’s nod of dismissal, they slipped out of the Manor doors. Liam offered to go to the kitchen to check on Dex, giving Louis a few minute alone with Harry.

“You need to get some sleep too”, Louis murmured to the wolf, pushing himself up and off Harry’s lap. 

He grabbed his hand without thought as he said, “Come on. I’ll tuck you in”.

It was a silly thing they had used to do whenever one of them was upset or sick, a childish form of comfort. He half expected Harry to laugh but the Alpha just nodded and followed Louis as obediently as he had done when they were kids.

He took Harry to the walk-in closet that still housed his clothes and left him to pick out something comfortable to sleep in. Then, he busied himself with pulling back the bed covers. 

After growing up with Harry, he should have expected the wolf to walk out wearing just his pants but it still made Louis pause in his actions. 

“None of my old stuff fits me anymore”, Harry offered in explanation but the smile on his face told Louis he wasn’t too bothered by it. 

Even when they had been children, Harry had preferred the freedom of nudity rather than the socially acceptable notion of clothes. It had been Anne’s biggest despair!

For a few seconds, Louis’ throat went dry as he took in the change in physique Harry had gone through in just two years. Louis noticed that all the cuts and injuries the wolf had sported the day before were now mostly gone, leaving behind his normal, flawless skin. Harry was no longer limping but his leg still had a yellowing bruise on it that should have completely healed by now.

He was about to ask Harry why his healing seemed slower than usual but his attention was suddenly drawn to something else.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t the toned muscles or sun-bronzed skin that had him staring at Harry’s chest (though a part of Louis’ mind catalogued that away to torture him with in his dreams). It was the small, black, letter ‘D’ that was tattooed there, just above Harry’s heart. The letter was curved and embroidered by an ornate-patterned border. It seemed particularly vibrant as it stood out against the werewolf’s skin. 

Harry was no stranger to tattoos but he definitely hadn’t been sporting this one when he had left two years ago.

“When did you get this?” Louis asked, absently reaching forward to run a finger across the letter.

Harry’s body shuddered and the wolf whined softly.

“That”, Harry gulped, catching hold of Louis’ wrist and moving it away from his bare skin, “Feels too good”.

Louis frowned, confused.

“What do you mean?”

“I…” Harry trailed off, shook his head and started walking towards the bed, pulling Louis along with him, “Never mind. I don’t know. I can’t remember getting it”.

Louis nodded, waiting for Harry to climb under the duvet before pulling the covers up to Harry’s chin, the way he knew the man liked.

“Okay. Get some sleep. Maybe some of your memories will come back to you when you’ve gotten a bit of rest.”

He forcefully pushed back the small part of him that selfishly hoped Harry wouldn’t remember Taylor or his time with the Swift pack.

Harry nodded and bit his lip before he spoke.

“I…don’t know what happened to me after I left the pack but you need to know, I’d _never_ have lost touch with you if I had been given the choice”, Harry said and Louis could see the conviction in his eyes but he still had to ask.

“Maybe it hurt too much to call us and speak to us. Your wolf might have thought cutting ties was better?”

Harry shook his head, jaw set. 

“No. The pack is a part of me. My wolf craves that connection, that bond. It would never have let me severe ties. You…you’re my family. I couldn’t ever do that to you, Lou.”

Louis felt a sense of comfort go through him at the words but it also brought him to a more worrying possibility.

“Were…do you think you were hurt in some way?” Louis questioned, a wave of anger going through him at the thought.

“Not physically”, Harry answered, staring down at his own hands, “But I think I started to turn…feral”.

Louis felt his blood run cold. The change in Harry’s eyes and body now made sense. The first sign of turning feral was when the wolf’s body got larger and more predatory.

Louis remembered a case, back when he was about eleven and Anne had been the Alpha, where a young Beta werewolf had stumbled into their territory, half-crazed out of her mind. Louis had only known about it because the wolf had shown up in front of his house, having smelt the other Betas there.

Harry and Liam had immediately attacked her but, while they had tried not to hurt her, the feral wolf had drawn blood time and time again. It was only when she attempted to lunge towards Louis, who had been watching from the back door, terrified for the pack’s safety, that Harry took her down. 

Niall and Jesy had ran to get Anne, who had tried to question the injured girl. The only words they could make out were, “Pack” and “Gone”.

The moment Harry moved away from the wolf, she tried to attack Louis again and Anne had given the girl a pitying look before ordering Louis and the others to go inside.

Louis hadn’t needed to hear the whines to know the wolf was dead. It had taken him days to wrap his head around it.

Finally, Anne herself had sat him down and explained it to him.

“She was kicked out of her pack”, Anne had said, “It must have been a major misdemeanour for a pack’s Alpha to go to that extent. Werewolves depend on strong packs, Louis. Without one, we turn feral. Our wolf side takes over and destroys our humanity. We revert to our most primal state, our predatory status. The longer she was away from her pack, the more feral she turned. I would have saved her if I could but she was too far gone. She looked at you and all she saw was ‘prey’. I couldn’t risk it”.

“But you just…you killed her”, Louis had mumbled, fiddling with the sleeves of his jumper, “How is that any better?”

“She was a danger to herself and others. I had no choice”, Anne had reached over then, pulled Louis into a warm, comforting hug until the boy stopped shivering, “I promise you, love. After dealing with the mental anguish of becoming feral, death was something she welcomed. It was an act of mercy”.

It had taken Louis a long time to accept that Anne had made the right decision and that the female Beta had been beyond saving. 

 

“Harry”, Louis’ voice cracked now as he reached for the Alpha.

The possibilities of what might have happened if the wolf had turned completely feral, filled him with dread.

Harry lay his head against Louis’ shoulder and took a long, deep breath, letting the comforting scent wash over him.

“I can feel my wolf more strongly than before”, Harry continued, voice softer, “It’s harder to control, especially when I’m angry or scared. But here, with you and the pack, it’s better. I almost feel like myself again”.

Louis tightened his arms around Harry, giving in to the need to rub his cheek against the wolf’s, just to reassure himself that Harry was safe and whole.

“I think…a few more weeks alone in that forest with Dex and I might have become completely feral. I could have hurt him, Lou. I could have killed my own son!”

“But you didn’t”, Louis reminded him, stroking a hand through his curls, “You came back to us. You’re with your pack again. With me”.

He didn’t know why he had felt the need to add that last part but Harry let out a pleased rumble and nosed along Louis’ jaw.

“Sleep now”, Louis whispered, smiling as Harry whined in protest, even as he tried to stifle a yawn, “Your memories might come back and even if they don’t, we’ll find a way to figure out what happened to you during the last two years. We won’t give up, Hazza”.

“Put our best agents on the job”, Harry joked and Louis rolled his eyes and muttered, “Your humour disappoints me, Styles”, but his lips turned up into a smile, regardless.

He fluffed up Harry’s pillow before firmly placing his hand on the Alpha’s shoulder, pushing him to lie down. Harry went easily enough, a sigh leaving his lips as he settled into the soft bed.

Louis wondered how Harry and Dex had slept in the forest. On a bed of leaves? In a cave? Whatever it was, judging by the way Harry nearly moaned when he stretched out on the soft mattress, it had been a while since he’d had a proper bed. 

After a minute of staring fondly down at the Alpha, Louis forced himself to take a step back.

“I..uh..I’ll leave you to it then”, he finally said, glancing around the room to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything.

“Lou,” Harry murmured, eyes blinking tiredly as Louis reached over to close the curtains, “Will you be here when I wake up?”

Louis sighed, wanting to stay and yet, knowing he had to go home, at least for a bit.

“I promised Mum I’d be home for dinner today”, he answered, somewhat reluctantly.

“Oh. Yeah, that makes sense. You should…do that, yeah”, Harry sounded disappointed or maybe Louis was reading too much into it.

He wasn’t sure how to respond so he settled for nodding and turned to leave again.

“Just…one more thing?” Harry’s voice made him pause, turning back to face the werewolf a tad too eagerly.

He was trying to find any excuse to stall and he knew it but he couldn’t bring himself to care too much.

“If it’s not too much trouble, could you take Dex with you?” Harry’s cheeks flushed as he asked, “It’s not that I don’t trust Liam to look after him but…I trust you more”.

Louis didn’t even try to hide the pleased smile that took over his face at the words.

“Sure thing, Hazza”, he nodded, “I’ll take Dex with me. Fair warning, I’m gonna spoil him”.

Harry chuckled, the sound so warm and familiar that Louis felt his own face grinning in return.

“Dex could use a bit of spoiling, I think”, Harry murmured, his smile dimming slightly, “I feel like this is the first time he’s left the forest since he was a baby”.

Louis made up his mind to ensure that Dex had the best evening of his life thus far but out loud, he simply said, “I’ll drop him back after dinner”.

“Sounds perfect”, Harry murmured, already slipping into sleep.

It always gave Louis a thrill to know that Harry’s wolf trusted Louis enough to fall asleep while he was in the room. The first few months after Harry had become the official Alpha, he had been unable to sleep if any of the Betas came into the house, even if it was Liam, who was his second-in-command. His wolf refused to be vulnerable and to have that newly-acquired power taken away from it. However, they had found out one rainy afternoon when Louis had been the only one in the house, that around him, Harry slept peacefully and even _cuddled_ up to!

“Your wolf’s a big old softie!” Louis had chuckled and Harry had rolled his eyes but murmured, “Only when it comes to you”, before proceeding to use Louis as a human pillow.

Now, Harry didn’t even stir when Louis leant over him to press a kiss to his forehead. He continued sleeping peacefully as Louis left the room and headed to get Dex.

As he walked past the guest room, he stepped inside to grab the clothes Dex had worn the day before. The shirt was unsalvageable, full of holes and dirt but the jacket looked as if it could recover with a good wash.

Louis decided to take it with him and throw it in with the next load of laundry at his own house. 

When he entered the kitchen, Liam was attempting to clean Dex up. The Beta gave Louis a happy growl when he walked over and scratched the back of his ears.

“Thank you, Liam”, he told the wolf, sincerely.

Liam just grinned and nodded.

“Anytime, Alpha.” He glanced meaningfully at the necklace that hung around Louis’ neck, a small smirk on his face.

“That’s…Harry decided I should share the responsibilities of leading the pack. It’s…um, a thing we’re apparently doing now.”

Liam’s smile grew, “I’m glad. The whole pack is. We’ve always obeyed you both but it’s better now that it’s official”.

Louis frowned, considering Liam’s words. He had never noticed it before but the Betas had, often, come to him for advice, even when Harry was around. And then, there had been the rare occurrences when Harry and him and gotten into fights. The pack had always been restless then, fighting more amongst themselves and getting agitated by the smallest things.

Louis had always assumed it was because Harry would get into a bad mood whenever they fought, which then triggered the Betas’ reactions but now, he wondered if it had been more than that. Had it really been because they had always acknowledged Louis as a human Alpha and they became conflicted when their two pack leaders fought?

“Call me if you need anything else”, Liam’s voice brought Louis back from his musings and he saw the wolf was headed for the door.

“Liam?” the Beta paused, turning to face Louis with a questioning and, somewhat eager, look on his face.

Liam lived to serve. It was one of the characteristics that made him such a phenomenal second-in-command.

“Starting next week, could you increase the daily training times for the pack?”

In all the excitement and confusion of Harry being back and Dex being introduced into the pack, Alpha Montgomery’s warning about a potential threat had been pushed to the back of Louis’ mind.

“Is…is there a problem, Alpha?” Liam asked, immediately picking up on Louis’ unease.

“I got a call from a neighbouring pack’s Alpha. They think there’s a rogue pack of supernatural creatures on the loose, headed our way. I figure it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Liam nodded again.

“I’ll write up a new schedule right away! Maybe we can increase the defensive and offensive attacks practice time and throw in some extra-”

“Liam,” Louis interrupted the excited werewolf, “How about you start by getting a solid eight hours of sleep? You can worry about schedules tomorrow”.

He said it firmly enough that the wolf would understand it as an order. It was for his own good, after all!

Liam sighed but his exhaustion won over for he nodded and gave Louis a sheepish smile before slipping out the door.

Louis had no doubt that Liam was heading off to Zayn’s house, most likely with plans to sneak in through his bedroom window so Mrs.Malik didn’t catch him. Ever since that one time she had walked in on Zayn and Liam in a compromising position (Louis didn’t know the _exact_ position because neither of his Betas would tell him but he had a healthy enough imagination!), she had made it a rule that the two weren’t allowed to be alone in Zayn’s bedroom together. 

Louis grinned as he thought of all the times Liam had broken that rule, mostly at Zayn’s insistence. Zayn had his mate wrapped around his little finger and the whole pack knew it!

Louis wondered what Harry’s thoughts were on the relationship of his two Betas. They had still been working up the nerve to ask each other out when the Alpha had left for London. He reminded himself to tell Harry about Zayn and Liam’s relationship development when he woke up, if the wolf hadn’t sensed it already.

A smile crept onto his face when he felt a small hand tug at the hem of his jeans. Dex was looking up at him with wide eyes, hands still messy with the remains of the banana Liam had given him.

“Dada?” the toddler enquired, a worried look in his eyes.

“He’s sleeping, love. How do you feel about spending the evening with me instead?”

Dex’s smile was as endearing as always, the child’s blue eyes sparkling a tad brighter as he lifted his arms, silently asking Louis to pick him up.

“Alright then!” Louis chuckled, easily fitting the boy against his hips.

It was strange how natural it felt to hold Dex in his arms, the toddler’s head resting against his shoulder, nose pressed to the side of his neck in a way that was entirely too reminiscent of Harry as a child.

As Louis headed towards his car, he couldn’t help but feel that things would work out. One way or another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully I’ve taken you all a bit deeper into the rabbit hole that is this fic. Everything will eventually make sense, I promise! Until then, your theories are always lovely to hear so leave me a comment.
> 
> Until the next update, love to you all <3 xx


	6. VI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who remained patient and supportive. I know it's annoying when WIPs are slow but I'm trying my best to not leave you hanging for too long! I hope you enjoy :) xx
> 
> _Note:_ Thank you to Sabrina (@SabrinaAllOver) for this beautiful cover art! Such a talented person  <3 xx

The first thing little Dex did when Louis carried him into the house was lift his head and sniff the air. The action itself didn’t seem too strange to Louis, perhaps because he had spent most of his life around werewolves and was used to such things.

After all, Dex’s dad was a werewolf so surely, it was a natural thing for him to have picked up on Harry’s mannerisms. Louis smiled to himself when he felt Dex’s body relax, the same way all the Betas’ did whenever they visited him.

He wondered whether the child’s sense of smell was slightly better than a normal human’s. It would make sense, considering that both of his parents were wolves.

His thoughts were interrupted when Dex looked up at him with a dimpled smile and asked, “Down?”

“Why? Do you want to check out the place?” Louis chuckled but he lowered the toddler to the ground just the same.

He watched fondly as Dex took a few shaky steps before dropping down on all fours, clearly having decided it was the faster mode of transport. The boy crawled around the bottom floor of the house, sniffing and touching everything with his hand. He was surprisingly slow and methodical about it- pausing to feel the texture of the wall; sniffing the Playstation controller Louis had left out; rubbing his cheek against the time-worn material of the sofa. His gaze was intent and serious, almost as if he were cataloguing all of Louis’ things to memory or…possibly scent-marking it.

Louis shook that thought off. No matter how ‘werewolf-like’ Dex acted, he wasn’t a wolf. Yes, he might have taken to copying Harry’s gestures but scent-marking wouldn’t have the same significance to the boy that it did to the rest of the pack.

Dex stopped at the mantelpiece, making a disgruntled noise as he realised it was too high for him to reach. He held up his arms, pouting at Louis, until the man walked over and lifted him up. 

The toddler surveyed the various photos and football trophies Louis had won over the years but the only thing he reached out for was a framed photograph of Louis, Harry and their mums. It had been taken on the day of Harry’s high school graduation, just a few months before Anne had been killed by the rogue wolf.

In it, seventeen year old Harry stood at the centre, flanked by Jay and Anne, who each had their arms thrown around his shoulders. In front of Harry, a good few inches shorter, stood thirteen year old Louis. Jay’s hand was resting on his matted hair and Anne’s was laid in a motherly fashion across his shoulder. Louis remembered not wanting to pose for the photo because his hair had been an utter mess that day, which was why Harry’s arms were wrapped around his waist, keeping him from running off.

Everyone was looking at the camera except Harry, who had his eyes closed, a laugh on his lips from some silly joke Louis had said right before the flash went off. They had taken another photo at Harry’s insistence, one in which all of them were posing properly but Anne had liked this one the best because she claimed it was a picture of a lovely pack moment. 

A few months after she had died, Louis had gotten it framed because it reminded him of a time when Harry’s joy wasn’t tainted by the shadow of grief. 

It’s not that Harry hadn’t laughed since his mother’s death but it had never come close to being as carefree as that day- with his head thrown back and cheeks flushed. This photo represented a memorable moment, both nostalgic and bittersweet, captured through a camera lens. It was a moment that they could never re-create in all its entirety. 

Dex was caressing the corners of the frame now, his little fingers running over them carefully, as if he could sense how important this particular object was to Louis.

“Dada?” the boy enquired, his thumb brushing over Harry’s face.

Louis nodded, a smile lifting his lips as he said, “Yeah, that’s your Dad.”

Dex made a questioning sound, pointing at Anne.

Louis bit his lip but, at Dex’s whine of confusion, he took a deep breath and carried on.

“That’s…it’s your grandma. Her name was Anne.”

Dex blinked up at him then, a frown on his face.

“Where?” he questioned innocently, pointing at Anne’s picture again.

Louis sighed, wishing Harry had been here to explain all this to his kid. He tried to think of how to phrase it, finally settling on saying, “She’s an angel now. She’s watching over you to make sure you stay safe”.

Dex gave him an alarmed look, eyes frantically darting around the room as if he expected her to jump out from behind the sofa at any moment.

“No, not like that”, Louis managed to hold back his laugh, “She’s up in heaven”.

He pointed towards the ceiling, which just seemed to confuse Dex more so he changed the subject.

“How about I get you something to eat? Have you ever tried mac and cheese?”

Dex ignored the question, his gaze returning to the photo. Much to Louis’ relief, he moved onto the next person-Jay.

“That’s my Mum. She’s at work right now but she’ll be home in a while. You can meet her.”

That seemed to catch Dex’s interest for he looked up, gaze curious.

“Ma?” he asked and Louis nodded.

“Yeah. Mum.”

Dex pondered the words for a second before his eyes lit up with understanding. He gave Louis a beaming smile before he reached up and placed one of his hands on the older man’s cheek.

“Ma,” Dex pronounced, clearly and then, much to Louis’ horror, “Mine?”

“Y..your Mum’s…well, she…uh…” Louis stammered, wishing he knew how to answer the question.

Did Dex remember his mother? Had she been with him and Harry while they had been hiding out in the forest or had something terrible happened to her? It was the same series of questions that had been running through Louis’ mind since Harry’s arrival but now, with Harry’s memory patchy at best, the chances of discovering the answers were slim.

“Your Mum’s name is Taylor”, Louis finally settled for saying, despite knowing that a name would mean nothing to a toddler.

Dex though, didn’t seem annoyed or upset by that. In fact, he just wore a cheerful look on his face as he shook his head, his other hand coming up to clutch against Louis’ shirt.

He patted Louis’ cheek lightly as he repeated the words.

“Ma. Mine.”

Then, the toddler leant in, burying his head against Louis’ collarbone. Louis was still trying to figure out what Dex had meant when the boy gently bit his skin again, exactly the same way he had done that morning.

“What…?” Louis trailed off as a thought came to him.

Was Dex trying to _mark_ him? He had a sudden flashback to the first time he had met Harry. After declaring that Louis was his friend, the werewolf had spent the whole day following him around school. 

When the time came for their mums to come and pick them up, a girl in Louis’ class had made the mistake of trying to hug him goodbye.

All Louis remembered was suddenly having Harry’s arms around him as he was pushed against a brick wall, gently enough that it didn’t hurt him, a growling werewolf looking down at him.

“Hazza?” he’d asked, as the older boy’s eyes flashed.

He hadn’t felt scared. Just confused.

The next thing he knew, Harry was gnawing on his shoulder, his teeth nipping at the skin to make it turn red.

“Mine”, Harry had growled in a daze, barely aware of anything other than the smell and taste of the human boy in front of him, driven by the need to make him smell like pack and family.

Louis hadn’t cried, strangely enough. He’d stood there and let Harry soothe the stinging bruise with his tongue until Anne and Jay had come across them. Anne had been furious at Harry, pulling him off of Louis and profusely apologising to Jay for her son’s behaviour.

“He’s usually got perfect control over his wolf”, Louis remembered hearing her say, “He knows not to mark anyone like that”.

“What does ‘mark’ mean?” Louis had asked, not liking the way Harry wouldn’t meet his eyes.

Anne was the one who answered, for both Louis and Jay’s benefit.

“Werewolves sometimes leave a mark on their family members to warn other wolves away from them. We _never_ mark people who aren’t pack.”

She had directed a glare at Harry then, who looked sullen and angry. That might have been the end of it had Harry not decided to mutter, “Louis’ my best friend. He’s pack”.

Anne had looked surprised and Jay had hidden an amused smile behind her hand. Werewolves rarely made friends with humans but the set of Harry’s jaw told both women that he was serious about this.

Anne had sighed before kneeling down in front of Louis.

“Louis was it?”

At his nod, she continued.

“Louis, my son seems to think you’re his friend. Is that true?”

Louis had nodded again, a smile touching his lips when he saw Harry’s grin.

“And you know he’s a werewolf? That he’s part of a pack?”

Louis nodded again. Harry had already told him all about his pack.

“Okay. Well then, would it be alright with you if Harry scent-marked you?” Anne turned to glance up at Jay with an explanation, “It’s instinct. His wolf needs his friends to smell like pack”.

Jay had seen no problem with the boys hugging and Harry rubbing his cheek against Louis’. Years later, Harry had told him that biting someone to mark them was a more primal method of scent-marking.

“It’s instinct. I used to do it all the time when I was a cub”, he’d explained, a tad embarrassed, “I just wanted people to know I had a connection to you. I wanted you to smell like mine”.

Louis had teased him about it but secretly, he’d been pleased.

 

His thoughts were brought back to the present when he felt Dex nip at his skin again.

“Dex,” Louis sighed, wondering how the human child had picked up such wolf-like traits.

He pulled back to see the toddler’s face but Dex just gave him a dimpled smile and repeated, “Ma”.

It took Louis another moment to figure out what the child was trying to say.

“What? No! _I’m_ not your mother, Dex. Her name’s-”

“Ma!” Dex interrupted, glaring up at Louis.

“I’m a boy, love. Boys can’t be-”

“Ma”, Dex insisted and now, he wore a shaky pout on his face.

Louis knew, from memories of Harry as a child, that such a pout would inevitably be followed by a fountain of tears and that was not something he was equipped to deal with. Especially not when it came from a miniature Harry look-alike!

“I’m…how about you call me Louis? Or Lou. Or even Tommo! That’s a nice nickname, innit?” he tried one last time but Dex just pouted harder and said, in a shaky, tear-filled voice, “Ma?”

“Okay but if anyone asks, that’s your attempt at saying Tommo”, Louis sighed, resigned to being called ‘Ma’ by a toddler.

It was as if those were the magic words, for Dex’s tears suddenly seemed to disappear, a dimpled smile taking their place.

“Down”, Dex commanded, petting Louis’ cheek lovingly when he placed him on the ground.

Louis watched him crawl towards the next object of interest, a fond smile on his face. He blinked as he realised he had been manipulated by a one and a half year old. Louis should have been offended but instead, all he felt was grudging admiration and a little bit of pride. 

And the nickname wasn’t so bad really. There was something about being called ‘Ma’ by Harry’s child that made him smile. It was a name that represented love and familiarity, need and attachment. It reminded Louis of when Anne had still been around, of pack and, perhaps most importantly, of _family_.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Louis had just gotten Dex settled on the sofa with an old teddy bear of his when he heard the knock.

He glanced at his watch and frowned. It was too early for his Mum to have gotten home from work and if it had been any of the pack, they wouldn’t have bothered knocking.

He got up from the sofa but before he could head towards the sound, a small arm was clutching at his shirt, wide eyes fixed on the front door.

“What’s wrong, love? What is it?” 

Louis wasn’t panicking…well, not completely. But Dex looked _terrified_! When he tried to pick him up, the boy twisted away from him, remaining firmly on the sofa.

“Stay”, the toddler whispered in a small voice, his hands tightening on Louis’ shirt when the man tried to pull away.

“I have to answer the door, love” Louis said, keeping his voice gentle, “It would be rude not to”.

Dex whined softly but released his hold on Louis in favour of clutching the teddy bear closer. The knocking on the door became more insistent and Louis sighed, moving away from the child.

“I promise I’ll be right back”, he told the toddler, who sat up straighter on the sofa but let Louis walk towards the door without any further interruptions.

Louis wasn’t sure who he expected to see when he answered the door but the man standing there was definitely not on his list.

“ _Louis_?”

The man sounded just as surprised as Louis felt.

The voice dredged up old memories of summers spent climbing trees and swimming through creeks with the Montgomery Betas. 

“Lachlan?” Louis asked, his voice disbelieving but there was no mistaking the familiar, easy grin of the Beta who stood in front of him.

The man had filled out and grown into his form over the years. No longer was he the skinny, awkward, twelve year old redhead who had insisted on holding Louis’ hand whenever they crossed the street…well, the hand-holding had lasted for three days until Harry had spotted it and shoved Lachlan away, growling at the wolf to keep his paws off of his best friend. 

Now, the man in front of him was a fit, confident werewolf, whose hair had been styled in such a way that it brought out his amber eyes and genuine smile. He was, for lack of a better word, handsome.

“Fuck! It’s been _years_ since I saw you last!” Lachlan murmured, his eyes roaming over the human.

Maybe it had been because Lachlan was only two years older than Louis, but they had bonded quickly as friends during that god-awful summer with the Montgomery pack that Harry had dragged him to. 

Even after the Styles pack had stopped visiting the Montgomerys, Lachlan had often come over during their summer breaks to hang out with him and Harry. For some reason, Harry had never liked Lachlan as much as Louis had, often being downright rude to the boy if he took up too much of Louis’ attention.

“It’s been too long!” Louis said now, his tone bordering on fond.

The last time he had seen Lachlan, the boy had promised to come and visit again the next summer, despite Harry’s not so quiet mutter of, “Don’t bother”.

When the Beta hadn’t shown up the next summer, Louis had been convinced that it was because of Harry’s snide remark and had refused to talk to his best friend for two days. Harry had called Sarah and asked to speak with Lachlan but she had assured him that her Beta’s absence had nothing to do with Harry’s remarks.

“He’s staying here to do some extra training with the pack,” Sarah had said over the phone, “He wants to tell you both that he’s sorry for not being able to make it but to not expect him during summers from now on”.

Louis had felt a bit sad but Harry had cuddled him and made him hot chocolate so the sadness hadn’t lasted very long.

“It’s been forever!” Lachlan agreed now, his voice slightly deeper than Louis remembered.

Louis found himself thinking it wasn’t as nice as Harry’s deep drawl but he shook that thought away almost as soon as it appeared. It wasn’t fair to compare the two.

“So, are you here for a social visit?” he asked instead, grinning.

Lachlan’s grin faltered slightly and he shook his head.

“Uh..not exactly. I…my Alpha asked me to deliver something to the Styles pack’s Alpha but she gave me this address. Sorry, it must have been a mistake on her part.”

Lachlan looked adorably confused and Louis couldn’t stop himself from chuckling.

“No, she hasn’t made a mistake”, Louis answered, opening the door a bit wider, “Would you like to come in? I don’t really want the neighbours listening in on pack stuff”.

“ _You’re_ the Alpha of the Styles pack?” Lachlan asked, mouth falling open in genuine surprise.

“Co-Alpha”, Louis answered, automatically.

“But you’re…I mean, you’re not a werewolf, are you?”

He sniffed the air as if he could detect such a change, which, Louis knew for a fact, werewolves could not.

So, he just rolled his eyes and said, “Nope. Completely human”.

Lachlan opened his mouth, perhaps to question Louis’ role in the pack further but before he could say another word, a figure popped up by Louis’ leg, causing the younger man’s attention to be diverted.

Dex held up his arms and Louis lifted him with ease. He clung to Louis with an almost possessive grip, eyes tracking Lachlan, who looked shocked.

“So,” Louis turned back to face the wolf, unaware of the way the toddler was sending the Beta death glares that would impress even Zayn, “I’m guessing you’ve got the file on the rogue pack?”

“Um…yes. Yeah”, Lachlan murmured, pulling his eyes away from Dex and back to Louis, “And you have a…baby?”

Louis chuckled softly, absently rubbing his cheek against the the top of Dex’s head, “This is the newest member of our pack. We call him Dex”.

Dex acknowledged the introduction by continuing to give Lachlan a very Harry-esque glare.

“H..he looks a lot like-”

“Harry.” Louis confirmed with a nod, running the fingers of one hand through Dex’s curly hair without conscious thought, “He’s Dex’s dad”.

Lachlan nodded, still trying to put it all together in his head.

“And his mum?” Lachlan sounded nervous for some reason.

“Ma!” Dex copied the word, leaning closer to Louis.

“It’s not my place to discuss that”, Louis answered, forcing himself to maintain an even tone despite the fact his body had stiffened, defensively.

“Sorry,” Lachlan’s eyes widened as he realised he had overstepped, “I didn’t mean to be nosy! It’s just…he smells…a bit like you?”

“So I’ve been told”, Louis muttered before turning away, letting Lachlan know, that particular topic of conversation was closed, “Come on in. We can have a look at the file together, if you’ve got time?”

“Yeah, of course!” Lachlan sounded a tad too eager as he hurried after Louis, towards the man’s bedroom.

Dex’s eyes never left the other wolf and Louis didn’t question it. He figured that Dex was barely used to the other members of the pack after spending most of his life away from human civilisation. It was perfectly natural for him to be wary of another wolf, especially one that was a complete stranger the way Lachlan was to the toddler.

“Is your Mum around?” Lachlan asked as they walked into Louis’ room.

He had never met Louis’ mother because, although Lachlan had been a childhood friend, he hadn’t been close enough to Louis for him to feel the need to introduce the wolf to his family.

“Nah, she’s working for another hour”, Louis explained, clearing his desk so the Beta could place the file on it, “Which gives you plenty of time to brief me about everything that’s happened with this apparent threat”.

Dex pressed his small body closer to Louis, as if to remind the man of his existence and Louis excused himself for a second so he could grab Dex another banana. The child’s appetite was definitely more wolf than human!

“I hope you save some space for dinner”, Louis murmured to Dex as he carried him back into his bedroom.

He stopped short at the sight in front of him. Lachlan was standing by his desk chair, holding a jumper of Louis’ that had been lying around the room. That wouldn’t have been odd in itself had it not been for the way the wolf was _sniffing_ it, eyes closed and body relaxed. 

“What the _fuck_?” Louis asked, wincing and covering Dex’s ears a moment too late.

Lachlan’s eyes had flown open the moment he heard Louis’ voice and he was now trying to, unsuccessfully, hide Louis’ jumper behind his back.

“I..uh..it’s…that’s not what it looked like. I can explain!”

Louis raised an eyebrow but nodded.

“Okay then. Explain.”

“Um…I…” Lachlan was blushing a bright red but something in his eyes spoke of determination.

Louis braced himself for a bizarre answer but what he actually got just made him blink and stare.

“I’ve had a crush on you since I was twelve!” Lachlan blurted out, his voice coming out far too breathy and fast, conveying his nervousness.

“What?” Louis couldn’t stop the disbelief in his voice from coming through and Lachlan huffed out a laugh.

“I haven’t exactly been subtle about it, Louis. This isn’t…I wasn’t going to tell you quite like this but…”

The wolf gestured to Louis’ jumper, dropping it onto the desk, “You’ve always smelt really good. Like the forest. You smell like the forest”.

When Harry or the Betas said that, Louis would smile and feel warm all over. With Lachlan though, he just felt vaguely uncomfortable. Almost as if he had been violated, which made no sense.

“That’s not all, obviously!” Lachlan hurried on, as if scared Louis would think him shallow, “You’re really good looking too! Right fit. And your eyes are gorgeous!”

Louis blinked again. Lachlan was just naming superficial things about him. It didn’t exactly make the wolf appear any less shallow.

Before he could come up with an appropriate response, Dex had wriggled out of his arms and was lunging at Lachlan, eyes narrowed. He had dropped the banana in favour of moving his hands into the same position that werewolves used when trying to get their claws to come out.

Unfortunately for Dex, he had no claws and so, simply ended up scratching Lachlan’s arm, something the werewolf acknowledged with a bewildered gaze and a shout of surprise.

Louis winced, feeling guilty. What if Dex’s action was in reaction to Louis’ own feelings on the matter? It wasn’t that he hated Lachlan…he just couldn’t see him as anything more than a friend.

Louis managed to grab the child before he did any more damage.

“Sorry!” he apologised on the toddler’s behalf, hoisting him up onto his hip, “Do you need something for that cut? I have a first aid kit in-”

“Don’t worry about it”, Lachlan chuckled, holding out his arm so Louis could see that the cut was already healing.

Dex let out a sound of displeasure and Louis tightened his arms around the boy, not wanting to take any chances at a repeat incident.

“But you _can_ make it up to me”, Lachlan continued, ignoring Dex, “All shall be forgiven if you agree to go out to dinner with me next week?”

“I…” Louis swallowed his knee-jerk reaction to decline, giving himself a moment to really think about it.

He had never seen Lachlan as more than a friend but then again, the last time he had seen the wolf, he had only been a child. There was certainly no denying that he had grown into his looks remarkably well. And he seemed…nice enough.

Still, it somehow felt _wrong_ to go on a date with him. Louis hadn’t really dated anyone before. The pack and school had kept him busy over the last few years and before that, his Mum had thought him to be too young for serious dating. The one time he had tried to hook up with someone at a club…well, that hadn’t gone too well. 

Still, he didn’t want to hurt or offend Lachlan.

“I guess we could do that. It would be good to catch up with an old friend”, he settled for saying, emphasising the ‘friend’ bit.

Lachlan’s smile dimmed a tad and Dex pressed closer to Louis, still glaring at the wolf.

“Um, yeah! That’s…cool. We can catch up over dinner then”, Lachlan recovered quickly but Louis could tell he hadn’t quite dropped the ‘date’ idea yet.

It was ironic really, that the first guy to actually ask him out was someone he wasn’t interested in. His life really sucked sometimes!

“Sure. We should probably focus on what you came for. What has your pack got on the rogues so far?”

Louis sat on his bed and settled Dex next to him as he listened to Lachlan explain the same things Sarah Montgomery had told him over the phone. He felt a lot more comfortable looking at the information in the file than he had about discussing potential date night plans.

He wasn’t sure what to make of that. For now, he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and focused on the facts of the case Lachlan was telling him about.

In short, it seemed as if this pack of rogues had entered Montgomery territory about a month back and had killed a couple of wolves in their first week. The pattern had continued over the next two weeks, with wolves being found in alleys and ditches in obscure parts of the city, until the homicides had suddenly stopped. 

“The scents were confusing”, Lachlan explained, “They kept changing. My sister, Leah, said she had picked up about four separate scents, all headed in different directions but Caroline insists one scent went all the way to our territory’s border. Since there haven’t been any more murders after that, we figure the rogues have moved on to the next territory”.

Louis nodded, an uneasy feeling entering his chest at the thought of a rogue pack being on the loose somewhere. 

“And you have no idea what supernatural creatures this pack consists of?” Louis asked.

Lachlan shook his head.

“There were definitely a couple of werewolves, at least one Alpha. I smelt something similar to lightening, which usually signifies magic so maybe a witch too? And one scent was definitely human. But we’re not sure how many members this pack has or whether there are any other supernaturals with them. We gathered a list of all the werewolves they killed in our territory. In total, there were six. The last victim was one of ours.”

He laid out the photos of the six victims in a line on the desk for Louis’ perusal. Louis forced himself not to throw up as he saw the pictures of the corpses, all unnaturally pale.

“All of them were found naked, with their blood completely drained from their bodies”, Lachlan explained, “But there weren’t any marks on them to suggest it might be vampiric in nature”.

“Which one was from your pack?” Louis asked, quietly.

He remembered Sarah mentioning one of their own pack members having been found in an alley.

“This one. George”, Lachlan mumbled, pointing to one of the photos.

Louis gasped, the name triggering a memory in his mind.

_  
Louis was hiding under the bed at the Montgomery den after Caroline had whispered in his ear that he was “just a pathetic, weak baby”._

_He hadn’t wanted to be found by anyone, not even Harry, so he had snuck into one of the guest bedrooms, knowing Harry would never think to look for him in here._

_He hadn’t counted on another wolf finding him. The warm green eyes and friendly smile of the dark-haired Beta made Louis lift his head off his knees. When the man dropped down on his stomach and tried to crawl into the small space with Louis, it brought a laugh to the boy’s lips._

_“What are you doing?” he asked, voice still clouded with tears._

_“I could ask you the same question, pup”, George answered, a smile curving his mouth upwards, “Why are you hiding under the bed on such a lovely day?”_

_Louis bit his bottom lip for a second before letting out a shaky breath._

_“Caroline hates me”, he whispered, brushing away a fallen tear with his hand, “Anne told me I should ignore her but…Caroline only hates me because I’m human”._

_George frowned._

_“Don’t believe everything my niece says, pup.”_

_“I’m not a pup”, Louis’ voice was starting to get an edge of anger around it, “I’m just a stupid human who bleeds and takes ages to heal and can’t climb trees or run as fast as the other Betas!”_

_George reached out then and brushed Louis’ fringe away from his forehead._

_“There’s nothing stupid about it”, the wolf answered, “Sometimes, humanity can be the most powerful gift of all”._

_“Powerful?” Louis gave the man a skeptical glance, “I can’t even beat **Niall** at play wrestling and Harry always wipes the floor with him!”_

_George chuckled, brushing his knuckles over Louis’ hair fondly._

_“Power isn’t just about physical strength”, George whispered, a twinkle in his eyes, “Trust me, pup. I have a feeling any pack in the country would be lucky to have you”._

_“I already have a pack”, Louis mumbled._

_“Yes, you do,” George agreed, “And they’re more powerful for it”._

_“What do you mean?” Louis asked, his forehead furrowing in confusion._

_Instead of answering, the Beta just winked at him._

_“Oh, it’s nothing you need to worry about just yet.”_

_He paused for a second, deliberating with himself, before murmuring, “Promise me you won’t forget one thing though, pup. Always remember that a pack’s strength is about more than just its members. It’s about the bonds between them, the shared respect, the territory they live on. Everything works together. Power is everywhere ”._

_Louis tilted his head to the side, beyond confused._

_George chuckled and tapped his knuckles gently against Louis’ forehead._

_“You’ll remember that when you need it. Still, promise me.”_

_Louis nodded, whispering a soft, “I promise”._

_“Good! Then you’ll do just fine”, George stated._

_Louis scoffed and muttered, “That’s not gonna help me with Caroline though, is it?”_

_“It will one day”, George smiled, secretive as always, “And until then, you still have the undivided loyalty of your pack”._

_“Undivided loyalty?” Louis asked, confused._

_George nodded, eyes softening as he took in the red-eyed boy._

_“Surely you must know that your pack would go to war for you, if need be.”_

_Louis started to shake his head but then paused._

_“I’m nothing special”, he finally mumbled._

_George’s answering grin had been wolfish as he said, “I dare you to say that in front of Harry”._

_Louis could see the man’s eyes were filled with mirth but he was never one to pass up on a dare._

_“You’re on!”_

_And that was how he ended up spending the entire evening with Harry’s arm wrapped around his shoulder._

_Not even Anne had protested when Harry followed Louis to bed that night, climbing in under the covers and nosing at his cheek until Louis tilted his head back and let the wolf scent him._

_“You **are** special”, Harry had whispered against the heated skin, refusing to let Louis move away, “You’re amazing, Lou”._

_By the time Louis drifted off to sleep that night, secure in Harry’s arms, he had forgotten all about his conversation with George.  
_

“He was your Alpha’s younger brother, wasn’t he?” Louis pulled himself back from the memory to ask Lachlan. The wolf nodded.

“Yeah. He was only 50. All of us thought he was in the house but when he didn’t come down for dinner, Caroline went up to check. His room was empty so a bunch of us followed his scent and it led us to the alley. We have no idea why he was there or what he was doing.”

Louis took a deep breath, storing that information away for later.

“Okay. Anything else?”

“We tried to find similarities between the victims but the only thing they have in common is that they’re all werewolves . We also have no idea what the motive for murder might be. Obviously we can’t involve the human police so this is all we have to go on. Maybe your pack can figure out something we couldn’t.”

“If anyone can, it’ll be Zayn and Perrie”, Louis murmured, turning to face the pictures on his desk and snapping photos of them on his phone, “I’ll email all of this to them. We’ll let you know if we get anything more”.

“The Alpha will appreciate it”, Lachlan nodded back, slowly getting up from his seat.

He waited until Louis looked up, hesitating slightly when the toddler shifted closer and continued to glare at the wolf.

“I’m gonna hold you to that dinner, Tomlinson” Lachlan grinned, “As soon as my Alpha stops running me ragged with errands”.

“Uh, right. Sure”, Louis cleared his throat and forced himself to smile.

“I’ll see you soon”, Lachlan grinned back, reaching out to give Louis a high-five or hug or something but he stopped short when Dex crawled into Louis’ lap, acting as a physical barrier between the two of them.

“Did he just-?” Lachlan paused, taking a step back instinctively.

Louis gave him a confused look.

“Did he just what?”

“I thought I saw…” Lachlan trailed off with a shake of his head, “He’s…human, right?”

Louis nodded, arms holding Dex closer.

“Never mind. I think I’m just exhausted from the day. I’ll see you later”, Lachlan murmured.

Louis nodded his goodbye and turned back to the file. He didn’t see the way Dex’s eyes flashed at Lachlan’s retreating back as the Beta left the house. He wouldn’t have known what to make of it if he had!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

With cooking not being his forte, Louis felt it was understandable that it took him a couple of hours to make a simple mac and cheese. Still, all the effort was worth it to see the look on Dex’s face when he ate the first spoonful of cheesy goodness.

“Yum!” the toddler exclaimed, eyes wide with awe. 

“Delicious, innit?” Louis grinned at the kid’s reaction, “It’s called mac and cheese”. 

Dex latched onto the word at once.

“Mac!” he shouted, gleefully.

Louis rolled his eyes fondly and tussled Dex’s curls before grabbing a bowl for himself. It was right as they were finishing up dinner that Dex suddenly straightened, head cocked to the side in a pose that was painfully identical to Harry’s.

Louis glanced at the door, just as keys rattled in the lock. By the time Jay entered, she was faced with her son holding a very curious baby, who seemed to be trying his hardest to wriggle out of Louis’ arms so he could get to her.

“Who’s this then?” Jay asked, her long day forgotten as the child turned to give her a dimpled smile.

A smile she was quite familiar with.

“Is he…?”

“Harry’s son, yeah”, Louis nodded.

Jay gave Louis a long, searching look.

“Harry’s back then?”

Louis nodded again, struggling to keep his hold on the toddler.

“And you’re doing okay with…everything?”

Louis gave her a confused look at that. What did she mean? She gave Dex a meaningful glance to clarify her question.

Shit! Was his crush on Harry _that_ obvious? Surely he hadn’t been so transparent? 

“W..what do you mean?” Louis asked, his throat suddenly feeling dry.

Jay looked at him for another long moment before shaking her head with a soft chuckle.

“Nothing. Don’t mind me. I’ve had a long day. How long’s the little one with us for, then?”

Louis let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding as he answered, “I have to drop Dex off at the Manor after dinner”.

He finally relented and putting the squirming boy down, who immediately toddled over to Jay.

“Dex?” Jay asked, crouching down so she could be closer to the child.

“Short for Declan”, Louis answered, watching the way Dex sniffed cautiously and then, with a sudden burst of speed, launched himself towards Jay.

His Mum caught the boy easily, letting him snuggle up to her in a hug. Her initial surprise was quickly giving way to a warm smile, her body relaxing as she hugged the toddler.

“He was eating his mac and cheese when he heard you at the door”, Louis continued with a fond look in his eyes at the scene before him, “Guess he was a bit excited to meet you”.

“Mine”, Dex mumbled, too low for Louis or Jay to hear.

Dex pulled back after a minute, giving Jay another smile before reaching out a hand towards Louis.

“Ma?” he asked, a silent demand to be picked up, which Louis did, almost without thought.

With Dex back in his arms, his own body seemed to relax a tad. The toddler rubbed his cheek against Louis’ for a few seconds before settling his head in the crook of his neck. 

Louis chuckled as Dex’s arms clutched at his shirt, clearly starting to feel tired.

“I made dinner for you too, Mum”, Louis added but when he looked over at her, Jay was watching him and Dex with a strange expression in her eyes.

“What?” Louis asked, feeling both defensive and self-conscious. 

He had no idea why he felt like that but his arms tightened around Dex just the same. 

When Jay finally asked the question, Louis could tell she had been holding back from blurting it out the moment she walked in the door.

“I thought you would have invited Harry over for dinner too”, she said, gently, almost as if she were being careful of Louis’ feelings, “Or are things different now?”

“Huh?” Louis asked with a frown, not hiding his confusion.

Jay bit her lip as she decided whether to carry on with her line of conversation or drop it. It was a sign Louis recognised because he himself did it.

“It’s just…well, Harry’s been away for a long time, hasn’t he? And he’s got a child now”, Jay said, hesitantly, “It’s natural for you both to have grown apart in that time. It happens to the best of friendships”.

She gestured in Dex’s general direction.

“I just want to make sure you’re doing okay and not…getting too attached. In case Harry decides to leave town again and settle somewhere else.”

Louis gaped at her. He couldn’t help it. Logically, he knew her statement was a motherly concern but it didn’t stop his anger from surfacing.

“Harry and I are _perfectly_ fine!” he snapped, “He was tired so I told him to have a nap. We’re still best friends. And Dex needs me! He needs pack.”

The toddler snuggled closer to him, as if to reaffirm the statement.

Louis’ anger might have been, in part, due to the fact his mother had voiced one of his deepest worries. What if Harry woke up tomorrow with all of his memories and realised he wanted to go back to London to be with Taylor? What if their friendship, the easy relationship Louis and Harry had always shared, only remained because Harry couldn’t remember what had happened in the years he had been away?

“Louis-” Jay tried to say, voice apologetic but Louis didn’t want to hear it.

The weight of everything he had learnt that day was crashing over him suddenly- Harry’s missing memories, Dex’s scent, Lachlan, the rogue pack that was killing werewolves. He needed a moment to just lock himself up in his room and cry it all out but that wasn’t an option. Not when he had a toddler to take care of.

Dex let out a soft whine, nuzzling Louis’ neck and softly gnawing at the skin there, in a childish attempt to calm him by scenting. And, surprisingly, it worked.

His anger drained out of him as if someone had turned off a switch, being replaced by a wave of tiredness.

“I…sorry, Mum”, he murmured, avoiding Jay’s eyes, “I just…I’m exhausted”.

“Is it the pack?” Jay asked, voice worried, “Has something happened?”

Louis was tempted to tell her everything- how Harry had shown up out of the blue with no memory of the last two years of his life, how Dex apparently smelt like Louis, how there were homicides happening in neighbouring territories- but since the age of six, the one rule he had never broken on Anne’s directive was to not tell his mother about pack business.

“Jay is family”, Anne had once explained to a young Louis, “But not the way you are. You’re pack and what we discuss as a pack, remains within the pack. It’s for her own protection”.

Even as Louis had grown older, even when Anne had died and Harry had taken on her role, Louis had kept his word to never reveal pack business to his mum. She knew the bare minimum, of course, but no more than absolutely necessary. It was a rule everyone, including the Betas, respected.

“Nothing to worry about”, Louis evaded the question, “We’re done with dinner. I think I’ll take Dex back home. Harry’s probably missing him”.

Jay raised her eyebrow at his choice of words. Louis hadn’t called the Manor ‘home’ since Harry had left.

“And by that, what you really mean is, you’re missing Harry”, Jay interpreted, easily.

Louis shrugged but, at the concerned look in his mother’s eye, murmured, “I still can’t believe he’s back, is all. It’s..I just need to make sure he’s home. That he’s safe”. _That he’ll stay_.

Jay frowned and Louis knew, no matter how hard she tried, she would never be able to understand why he felt the need to see Harry whenever he was upset or tired or worried.

In all honesty, Louis didn’t understand it himself but Anne had always made him feel as if his need to be close to Harry was a perfectly ordinary part of being in a pack, so he had never questioned it. 

Jay didn’t question it either, just reached out to snag Louis’ car keys and passed them to him.

“Drive safe, love”, she told him as she walked past, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek and then, after barely a second of hesitation, bestowing a matching kiss to the top of Dex’s head.

Dex mumbled happily, already in the early throes of sleep.

“I will”, Louis murmured back as he stepped out the door with Dex in his arms.

He wasn’t as surprised as he should have been to spot Nick’s car across the road.

He could tell the moment Nick spotted him by the way his posture changed from slouched to deferent. The Beta’s head tilted slightly to the side, even as he slid a smirk onto his lips in typical Nick fashion.

“Alpha,” he greeted, smirk growing wider at Louis’ annoyed frown.

“Harry’s back but you lot are still taking turns being my bodyguards, aren’t you?” Louis accused.

Nick didn’t reply but neither did he deny it. Instead, he leant across and opened the passenger side door.

“You’re tired. Let me drive”, was his only explanation and it was a testament to exactly how tired Louis was that he gave in with minimal protest.

“I’m still not happy about it”, he muttered, more for show than anything else.

Nick grinned, as if he could tell Louis didn’t mean it. The Beta reached back and grabbed a tupperware container from the back seat.

“I have a feeling you’ll be happy about _this_ ”, the wolf stated, handing the container to Louis.

Inside, was a large burger.

“For the Alpha…well, the _other_ Alpha. Aidan and I made it”, Nick explained with a shrug.

Louis smiled, feeling a tendril of pride at the thought of his Betas remembering that Harry hadn’t eaten dinner like the rest of them. He could also tell that this was Nick’s way of apologising for the incident with Dex.

“I’m sure he’ll appreciate it”, Louis answered and Nick beamed as if the man had given him the greatest compliment on earth, as he started up the car.

Neither of them noticed the hooded figure standing on the street corner whose eyes had been on Louis and Dex. They had already left the neighbourhood by the time the figure spoke out loud, words no more than a soft murmur.

“ _Found you_.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

By the time they pulled up to the Manor, Dex was sleeping soundly in Louis’ arms.

“I’ll be back in a minute”, Louis whispered to Nick, who nodded, the smirk still on his face.

Louis took out his set of keys to open the Manor doors but before he could use it, the door was being flung open and Harry stood there, eyes wild and worried. He was wearing only his pants, which told Louis he had gotten out of bed recently.

In the blink of an eye, Louis’ arm was being grabbed by the Alpha and he had been pulled inside the house, door being shut firmly behind him. The container of food dropped from his hand, falling harmlessly to the floor.

“Hazza?” Louis asked, confused but Harry just growled softly, eyes frantic. 

His gaze darting over Louis as his hands rubbed along the younger boy’s spine, as if making sure he was still in one piece.

Dex blinked awake as Louis’ heart started to race. The child mumbled, “Dada?” sounding as confused as Louis felt.

Harry seemed beyond words at the moment though, for he simply leant down to nuzzle his nose against Dex’s neck in silent reassurance, a soft growl emitting from his throat. The toddler reached out a hand to sleepily pet his dad before curling back around Louis with a yawn.

This wasn’t just Harry. It was his wolf. Louis panicked for a brief second, trying to figure out what had happened to make Harry’s wolf take control. Since he wasn’t completely feral, there had to be a trigger that caused the change.

“Harry”, Louis murmured, reaching out to touch the Alpha’s cheek.

Harry leant into the touch with a soft whine.

“Hazza, it’s okay. Everything’s okay. Everyone’s safe.”

The only theory Louis had was that Harry’s wolf displayed feral attributes whenever he felt threatened or protective.

“Lou,” Harry rasped out after a few more seconds of scenting his son, the panic in his eyes receding slightly, “You’re not hurt?”

Louis blinked at him.

“Of course I’m not! I told you I was just going to Mum’s for dinner.”

Harry let out a sigh of relief. He pulled Louis closer and buried his head in the crook of Louis’ neck.

Louis relaxed against him when Harry’s arm wrapped around his waist, the other settling on his lower back. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t hugged like this before but something about this particular moment felt both fragile and heavy.

“I just need a minute”, the werewolf mumbled against his skin and, despite not knowing what had caused Harry to freak out, Louis nodded and held the man closer with his free arm, relishing in the feel of comfort that came with being near Harry.

Dex let out a happy sigh, cuddling in between them. 

“I…” Harry took a deep breath, “I had a nightmare. There was…this flash of light, someone crying and then…pain. Burning”.

Louis’ arm tightened around the Alpha, whose voice shook slightly as he continued.

“And I..I could smell you and Dex but when I woke up, you were both gone.”

Louis hummed comfortingly, letting his hand card through Harry’s soft curls. The wolf nosed against his neck for another moment before pulling back.

“Sorry,” Harry sounded embarrassed but, Louis noted with some relief, his eyes were back to their normal, calm green, “I just…needed to make sure you weren’t hurt”.

“I get it, Harry”, Louis answered, “Your instincts make you protective of pack members”.

Harry opened his mouth to say something but then shut it, biting his lip as he nodded.

“Yeah,” he said, somewhat shakily, “That’s what it is”.

After a moment of silence, Louis gained enough courage to ask, “Did you remember anything more?”

Harry shook his head.

“Not yet”, he murmured.

He glanced at Dex so Louis handed the toddler over, despite the child whining softly in his sleep at having to leave Louis’ warm embrace. 

“Thanks for looking after him”, Harry whispered, one of his arms still holding Louis close.

“Any time”, Louis answered with a smile, eyes on the sleeping child, “Mum loved him too”.

Harry’s eyes widened at that.

“Jay knows?”

“About you being a dad?” Louis scratched the back of his neck, “Um, yeah. I had to tell her the reason you left me in charge of the pack and hightailed it out of town. Sorry if you didn’t want her to-”.

Harry shook his head with a small smile.

“No, I don’t mind her knowing. I should have probably told her myself. Is she…angry that I didn’t say goodbye?”

Louis blinked. He hadn’t even thought about that. Harry was as close to his Mum as Louis had been with Anne. He thought about how Jay had acted right after Harry had left but nothing in her manner seemed to suggest that she was angry. Maybe a bit sad and disappointed but Louis thought that had more to do with the fact that Harry hadn’t come to her for advice than because he had left without saying goodbye.

“No. She’ll probably invite you around for dinner soon though.”

Harry smiled at that, his face brightening slightly.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Louis nodded, “It has”.

They stared at each other for a long moment. Louis was cataloguing all of Harry’s facial features, thinking about what had changed in the years he had been away.

Harry seemed to be doing the same, if the amount of times his eyes raked over Louis’ body was any indication. Except, unlike when Lachlan had looked at him, Louis didn’t feel uncomfortable or self-conscious. Harry didn’t look at him with want or desire or lust; he looked at him with admiration and pride and awe. With _respect_.

It made something warm bloom inside Louis’ chest.

“Um,” Louis finally said, clearing his throat as he glanced down at his watch, “Before I forget, Aidan and Nick made this for you”.

He picked up the container and walked into the kitchen, smiling at the way Harry trailed after him, sniffing the air.

“Is that a burger?” Harry’s voice sounded blissfully happy, “I haven’t had a burger in…uh, two years, I guess”.

Louis bit his lip at the reminder of Harry’s time away but he pushed the sad thoughts back and placed the container on the table. 

“Eat”, Louis commanded gently, pulling out a chair for the werewolf.

Harry plopped into it with no complaints.

“I’ll tuck Dex in”, Louis added and Harry gave him a grateful smile, handing the boy over.

As Louis walked out of the kitchen, he heard Harry’s soft groan of appreciation. That was clearly one hell of a burger! He made a mental note to get the recipe from Nick.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Louis sat at the table with Harry as the Alpha finished his dinner. They weren’t talking but the silence was comfortable in a way it only ever was when it was just the two of them.

The Manor being quiet was also another rare occurrence.

“I missed you a lot”, Louis suddenly blurted out.

Harry whined and reached a hand out to grasp Louis’, intertwining their fingers together. 

“I don’t remember much of the last two years”, Harry said, slowly, “But what I do remember is missing you. I wanted to come back, Lou. Every day in that forest, I wanted to come back to you and the pack”.

“Then why didn’t you?” Louis asked and maybe he was being selfish but he really wanted to know, “Can you try and remember that, Harry? Why didn’t you come back to us sooner?”

Harry took a deep breath before closing his eyes. His forehead crinkled with thought lines as he tried to recall any bit of information he could about the time he had been away.

“There was…a threat”, he finally murmured, sounding pained, “I can’t remember much, Lou, but I didn’t want to put you in danger. The threat…it was following us, I think? Trying to track us down. And…blood. There was a lot of blood”.

Harry’s face had gone pale, his voice barely a whisper and, when Louis squeezed his hand gently, the wolf’s eyes startled open.

“Lou?” Harry looked scared, lost, defenceless and before Louis could process it, he was out of his chair and in the Alpha’s lap, his arms wrapped around Harry in a comforting embrace.

“I’m sorry”, Louis whispered in Harry’s ear, letting the wolf breathe in his scent, “I shouldn’t have made you do that”.

“You have a right to know”, Harry murmured back but his voice was still shaky.

“Not if it causes you pain”, Louis replied, immediately, tightening his arms around the man, “Whatever it was that kept you away, you’re here now. That’s all that matters”.

“Can you stay the night?” Harry asked after a moment of simply breathing in the boy’s calming scent.

Louis hadn’t planned on it but there was no way he could refuse Harry, especially not when the wolf was clinging to him, trying hard not to break down into tears; experiencing a moment of weakness that he could never display in front of the Betas.

“Anything you need, Hazza”, Louis whispered back, pressing a kiss to the Alpha’s shoulder.

After another moment of silent comforting, Louis stood up, petting Harry’s hair when the wolf whined.

“I just need to tell Nick not to wait for me.”

Harry frowned then, confused.

“Nick?”

“He gave me a ride over here.”

“Lou,” Harry was trying to bite back a smile now, “I think your ride left a few seconds after you walked in the door”.

“ _What?!_ That little-”

He was too busy ranting about all the things he would do to Nick (“Should I egg his house? I should egg his house!) for not having the courtesy to wait for him, to notice that Harry had led him up to his bedroom.

Harry shushed him gently when they entered the room and Louis quietened down when he saw Dex at the centre of the bed, sleeping peacefully.

“Here,” Harry whispered, pushing one of his shirts into Louis’ hands, “I know you like to sleep with clothes on”.

“Most normal people do, Harold”, Louis threw back but he wore a smile on his face.

Harry climbed into bed beside Dex while Louis got changed and shot a text off to his Mum, letting her know that he was spending the night at Harry’s. They had used to have sleepovers all the time before Harry had left so he didn’t think she would mind too much.

The entire day had been strange and exhausting, Louis thought, as he crawled into bed on the other side of Dex. He felt Harry shift and one of the Alpha’s arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer to him and Dex. Louis’ body slotted into the space with a movement that felt perfectly natural.

He knew there were more questions to be answered and a possible threat to watch out for but, right at this moment, lying in Harry’s bed with the werewolf holding him close as Dex snuggled in between them, Louis felt happy. He felt complete. He felt at home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts are, as always, appreciated. Until the next update, love to you all <3 xx


	7. VII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos and comments on the last chapter! I’m always amazed by the responses to this fic! Hope you enjoy this update!
> 
> _**Note:**_ The rating of this fic has been changed from ‘General’ to ‘Mature’, just to make sure I cover all bases for future chapters.

Luck seemed to be on Louis’ side for he had managed to avoid his mum’s questioning glances and worried looks for the past week. Of course, luck had to run out sometime and today was apparently that day.

“Louis,” Jay cornered him just as he was about to slip out the door to head to the Manor, “It’s been eight days since you told me Harry was back and I’ve yet to see him around. Has he forgotten about me?”

Louis had to fight himself to not flinch at his Mum’s choice of word. In the last eight days, Harry and Dex had slotted into the pack as if they had always been there but Harry’s memory was still not back.

He occasionally remembered small, insignificant details such as hiding in a cave in the forest or finding these amazing berries on a bush but he had yet to remember anything to do with his time with the Swift pack.

Louis had mixed feelings about it. A part of him was happy that Harry had no memories regarding Taylor but another part of him felt guilty for wanting to erase that part of Harry’s history. If nothing else, Dex deserved to know about his mum.

“Louis!” Jay’s voice sounded annoyed, which told him he had zoned out for a bit.

“Uh..sorry, Mum. Harry’s just…he’s been busy, you know? With patrols around the territory and helping Liam with training and-”

“Has he been spending the nights here?” Jay asked, straight to the point as usual.

Louis did wince then. He had been certain his Mum was unaware of that minor detail. It wasn’t as if they had planned anything but Harry had shown up with Dex on his third night back, mumbling something about not being able to sleep alone at the Manor.

Louis had hardly thought about it as he threw back his bed covers and gestured for Harry to crawl in with Dex.

Since then, it had become a routine. Harry would sneak in through the kitchen door after Jay was asleep, the way they had always used to do as children. The only difference was that now, Dex accompanied him, refusing to fall asleep until he was tucked safely between Louis and Harry. Louis had to admit that he too, slept better when he knew that Dex and Harry were with him. They had taken great care to keep the noise down as they settled into bed each night so he had no idea how Jay had found out.

“Do you honestly think I haven’t noticed the way our bananas keep disappearing?”

“That’s actually Dex,” Louis mumbled, “He likes bananas even more than Harry does”.

“I didn’t think that was possible,” Jay chuckled, undoubtedly recalling the lanky teenager who had used to stuff two bananas into his mouth at the same time.

Her face shifted back to serious a second later.

“Louis, tell Harry I expect to see him and Dex over for dinner this Friday. No excuses. You’re not the only one who’s missed him, you know!”

Louis nodded. He sighed as he got into Zayn’s car. The wolf gave him a concerned look but he waved it off.

He didn’t know why he was nervous about Harry joining his Mum for dinner. It had used to be a tradition every Friday night but something about it felt…different now. More important. Or maybe he was just worried about his mum questioning Harry on his time away and realising something was wrong. Harry was good at a very many things but lying was not one of them. 

The pack had been hoping Harry’s memory would return by itself but it didn’t seem to be making much progress. Perhaps it was time to get a medical professional involved.

“Hey Zayn,” Louis glanced at the Beta, an idea forming in his mind “What’s Liam got planned for you lot today?”

Zayn’s groan was answer enough.

“So, how would you feel about skipping training to help me find a werewolf doctor we can trust?”

Zayn grinned.

“I know just where to start looking.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As it turned out, it only took one simple call to organise a doctor that could take a look at Harry.

“Alpha James Corden?” Harry asked, dubiously, when Louis and Zayn proposed the idea to him, “Are you sure he’s a proper doctor?”

Louis could understand the reason behind Harry’s doubts. He remembered meeting James once, at Anne’s funeral. The Alpha was friendly and diplomatic with a great sense of humour. He was also far too laid back for anyone to take him seriously. Even his pack treated him more as a fellow Beta than an Alpha, which he didn’t seem to mind one bit.

“He’s got a medical degree and he used to work in the local clinic before his Dad passed on the role of Alpha to him,” Zayn, who had clearly done his research, commented.

“It couldn’t hurt to see him, Harry,” Louis added.

Harry looked conflicted at the prospect of getting medical help but he must have caught the hopeful look in both Zayn and Louis’ eyes. 

He tilted his head to the side, an exasperated look on his face and Louis knew that he could hear the other Betas, who were all crowded around the living room door, eavesdropping on the conversation and waiting to hear his answer with baited breath.

“Fine,” Harry relented, his lips turning up into a smile when he saw Louis let out a relieved breath, “But I don’t want another Alpha in my territory. Not when…”

He trailed off but the pack understood what he was trying to say. With his memory impaired, Harry’s wolf felt vulnerable, which meant his territory wasn’t well-protected enough. Having another Alpha on the land, even if he knew James wouldn’t challenge him for his territory, made his wolf snarl with fear.

“We’ll go and visit the Corden pack then,” Louis decided.

Zayn grinned. 

“Road trip time!” he said, excitement creeping into his voice.

There was a cacophony of sounds outside the closed door before all hell broke loose.

 

“For the _last_ time,” Harry huffed out, “We’re only taking the one car so we can only have five passengers!”

The older Betas pouted, the younger ones whined, turning their puppy dog eyes onto Louis, who tended to be the softer of the two Alphas.

“Sorry guys,” he shrugged apologetically, “But we’re entrusting those who are staying here with an important task”.

That caught the wolves’ interest. Even Nick raised a curious eyebrow while Perrie bounced on her feet.

“Someone needs to babysit Dex,” Louis stated, sharing a fond look with Harry when every Beta simultaneously raised their hands to volunteer.

“You can all babysit,” Harry decided, getting happy growls in return, “Dex needs to bond more with the pack so this will be the perfect opportunity. We should be back before sunset”.

Liam nominated himself as the driver and Zayn insisted on accompanying them. Niall too, had wheedled and pleaded until Louis gave in and dragged him into the seat beside him and Harry.

Dex didn’t seem too bothered by his dad leaving, turning to give them a wave before looking a Jesy and asking for, “Yum?”

“I swear he’s related to Niall with that appetite,” Harry muttered, casting a look at the blonde, who was already munching on a granola bar. 

Louis chuckled, tussling Niall’s hair, affectionately.

“To be fair, he hasn’t eaten in a couple of hours,” Louis pointed out, Niall nodding his head in emphatic agreement.

Harry shook his head, ducking down to whisper in Louis’ ear, “You’re spoiling the cubs, love”.

Louis rolled his eyes, a grin on his lips as he bantered back.

“Says the one who gave Liam extra money for junk food last weekend.”

“Well, I don’t want them to starve! They _are_ growing wolves.”

“A bit of fruit and veggies aren’t going to do them any harm!”

“When was the last time _you_ ate veggies, Tomlinson?”

“ _Not_ the point, Styles!”

“Oh dear God!” Zayn’s voice cut across. 

The Beta was giving them both a despairing look, as if he couldn’t believe how idiotic they were.

“What?” Louis asked, confused.

Zayn opened his mouth to say something further but Liam interjected, turning on the radio a few notches louder than normal.

“Music!” he gave an almost maniacal grin, glancing in the rearview mirror at Harry with a nervous look, “Let’s sing along!”

When Louis glanced back at Zayn, he saw that him and Liam were having a meaningful, private conversation, conducted entirely in facial expressions and long looks. Before he or Harry could say another word, Niall was belting out the lyrics.

“Will you still love me when I’m no longer, young and beautiful,” the blonde crooned in Louis’ ear.

Louis rolled his eyes and muttered, “Nope. I’ll disown you”.

Niall pouted and pawed at Louis’ shoulder until he sighed and scratched behind the boy’s ears. It wasn’t long before they were all joining Niall, singing along with Lana Del Rey, harmonies and all!

It reminded Louis of when they had been younger and Anne would take the whole pack on road trips. Harry, Louis, Zayn and Liam had always insisted on being put in the same car and, once Niall had joined them, it had become the five of them.

Anne had once casually commented that they wouldn’t be half bad as a boyband, their voices complimenting each other’s perfectly. 

Louis glanced over at Harry, whose dimpled smile suggested that he was remembering the same thing. However, once the car passed onto Corden territory, Harry fell silent. One of his hands reached out to squeeze Louis’ thigh. 

Louis understood the silent gesture at once. Harry was worried about what James might say.

Louis let the Betas get out of the car once they had parked in front of the Corden’s pack house, tilting his head at Liam to let the lad know him and Harry needed a minute alone. 

Perceptive as always, Liam led Zayn and a curious Niall, towards the pack house, hissing something at the blonde about not being, “a nosy git!”. Louis turned to Harry the moment he was certain the Betas couldn’t overhear.

“What’s the matter?” he whispered as Harry pulled him closer, burying his head against the crook of the younger boy’s neck.

He let the wolf breathe in his scent for a minute, sensing the calmness that was washing over Harry with each inhale. 

“What if he says I’ll never remember?” Harry asked, quietly, a note of uncertainty entering his voice.

Since the day they realised his memory had been impaired, this was the first time that Harry sounded so young and unsure about it. Louis’ heart clenched in sympathy as he pulled back to frame Harry’s face in between his hands.

“Then we’ll ask for a second opinion. We’re not going to give up, Hazza. Not you, not me and not the pack. We’re in this together.”

A small smile touched Harry’s lips and Louis was surprised when the Alpha’s mouth slid over his cheek in a slightly wet kiss. Harry nuzzled against his neck for a few seconds before letting him go and rolling back his shoulders.

“Ready?” Louis asked, just to be certain.

Harry nodded and they stepped out of the car together. And if Louis’ heart beat a tad faster than normal when Harry reached for his hand, the wolf was kind enough not to mention it. Or maybe he was just too nervous to notice!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

By the time they met Alpha Corden (“No but seriously, call me James!”), there was no sign of Harry’s nervousness. He was the very picture of a powerful Alpha, body drawn tight with repressed power and eyes watchful and alert. 

Louis waited with the Betas while Harry and James shook hands. He was a bit shocked when, a second later, Harry’s arm reached back to grab Louis’ hand, pulling him until the younger boy was standing beside him.

“Alpha Tomlinson,” James acknowledged, shaking his hand in turn.

“Call me Louis,” Louis mumbled back, unsure of the proper protocols and formalities of greeting other Alphas.

James seemed relaxed about such things though and only gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder before gesturing towards his office. Harry kept a tight hold of Louis’ hand as they followed the wolf into the room.

At the centre was an examination table, much like the one in Louis’ high school biology lab. James nodded towards it and Harry winced but let go of Louis so he could strip out of his shirt and jump onto the table.

James started by running his hands over Harry’s body to “make sure everything’s normal”. Harry looked utterly uncomfortable but he bore it with patience. Louis didn’t realise his own hands had clenched into fists and that his jaw was tight until Liam laid a calming hand on his shoulder.

“Are we nearly done with this part?” Zayn snapped out, ignoring Liam’s warning growl. 

Zayn’s eyes were on Louis, who was consciously trying to relax himself. For some reason, even though he _knew_ James was trying to help Harry, his mind kept urging him to challenge the Alpha and get to his best friend.

He didn’t like the thought of another wolf touching Harry, which was ridiculous really! He had never used to feel this possessive over his friend…not to _this_ extent anyway!

James glanced back towards them, opening his mouth to say something but he cut off when he saw the way Liam was now physically restraining Louis.

James’ mouth fell open slightly and he cast an assessing look between Harry and Louis before holding up his hands and stepping back.

“Sorry, I didn’t realise. Uh, we can just…move onto the next test,” he cleared his throat, stepping up to a smaller table that held different vials of liquid and powders as well as a stethoscope and the usual medical instruments.

The next few tests he conducted reminded Louis of annual check-ups at the doctor’s. James checked the wolf’s blood pressure and heart rate, made sure his reflexes were still in working order and even shone a light into his eyes to check pupil dilation. Harry growled at that and the older Alpha immediately moved on, not wanting to aggravate his patient.

James wore a frown on his face as he walked over to the smaller table, running a hand over the different containers and vials. After a minute, he selected a small yellow vial and walked back towards Harry. 

“I need you to drink this,” he informed the Alpha, who was eyeing the liquid with distrust, “It’s Trabelun”.

Louis, Liam and Zayn exchanged confused glances but Niall nodded, as if he understood.

“It’s the medicine that pups are given to help them with their first shifts,” the blonde explained to the rest of them, a tad smugly, “See? I know things!”

James nodded, throwing Niall an approving smile that only served to make the boy preen even more. If Louis weren’t so fond of the loveable idiot, he’d have smacked him over the head by now.

“I can shift without the help of medication,” Harry mumbled, edging away from the vial in James’ hand.

“I don’t doubt it,” James smiled reassuringly at the young Alpha, “But I don’t want you to perform a full shift. I just want to bring your wolf to the surface while retaining your human features”.

“Why?” Louis asked before Harry could.

“Because I can’t seem to find anything wrong with him,” James explained, “So maybe the problem lies in his wolf. This is the only way for me to check”.

Harry’s eyes shifted to Louis, silently asking him for his opinion.

James was their best shot at figuring out what was wrong and that meant they had to trust him.

“If it’s the only way…” Louis shrugged, helplessly.

Harry sighed but nodded, holding out his hand for the vial. He swallowed the liquid in one go, grimacing as the bitter taste hit him.

“It shouldn’t take too long to work,” James told them, “A couple of minutes at the most”.

While they waited for the medicine to kick in, Louis wandered about the small office, peeking at the items James kept on his shelves. Most of them were medical journals but as he sifted through them, Louis caught sight of a leather-bound notebook.

It looked older than the books that surrounded it and Louis didn’t realise he had reached out to touch it until he felt his hand make contact with the time-worn leather.

“James,” he called out, hand wrapping around the book and pulling it off the shelf, “Is this yours?”

James glanced at the book and shook his head.

“Nah. It’s been in the pack for a few generations now. It was my great-grandmother’s.”

Niall walked up and grabbed the book from Louis, flicking it open. 

“It’s empty,” he declared, “Except for this”.

He passed it back to Louis so he could see the portrait on the first page that looked as if it had been hand-drawn.

It showed the face of a young girl, with her hair swept up in a bun and wearing a pair of glasses. She had a mischievous smile on her face. If it weren’t for the pencilled outline, Louis might have mistaken it for a photograph! Whoever the artist had been, they were talented.

Louis flicked through the rest of the book but all the other pages were blank.

“Why’d your great-grandma keep an empty notebook?” he asked with a frown.

“How should I know?” James shrugged, “It’s just been sitting around in the shelves for years. You can have it, if you want”.

Louis opened his mouth to refuse because he had no need for an empty notebook but what came out was a soft, “Thank you. I’ll take good care of it”.

“Throw it in the trash for all I care,” James chuckled, eyes lighting up when he heard Harry growl, “Ooh! Looks like it’s working!”

Louis’ gaze moved away from the odd book and towards Harry.

Except…something was wrong. Harry’s wolf was _angry_. It was also confused and scared.

“It’s the different scents,” James explained before any of them could start freaking out, “He’s not in his territory and the wolf’s trying to figure out why”.

Harry growled again, eyes flashing at James.

“That happens to me sometimes,” Zayn added, quietly, “During the full moon. It takes me a couple of minutes to figure out what’s going on after I shift”.

“That’s because your human and wolf sides aren’t fully merged so they take longer to communicate with each other. It’s quite a common problem in…”

James trailed off, eyes suddenly fixed on Harry.

“Alpha Styles…isn’t a bitten wolf, is he?”

“No,” Louis answered at once, “He was born a werewolf. It’s been in his family for generations”.

“Shit!” James cursed and Louis felt his own heartbeat pick up.

“What? Is something wrong?” Liam asked, worriedly, picking up on Louis’ fear.

“I think I know why your Alpha’s having memory problems,” James replied before turning to Louis, “Can you get me the red book on that shelf, please? I believe it has the information I’m thinking of”.

Louis nodded and put the leather notebook down to reach for the book James was indicating. He froze when he realised the movement had caught Harry’s attention.

Before Louis could react, Harry was pressing him against the book shelf, arms caging him in as the wolf nuzzled under his jaw. Almost instinctively, Louis tipped his head up a bit and Harry leant in until there was no space between their bodies. His scent seemed to calm Harry’s wolf, for he made a soft, purring sound, one arm wrapping around Louis’ waist to pull him closer.

Out of the corner of his eye, Louis noted that Liam had taken the red book and given it to James, who was flipping through it. The Betas had gathered around him, waiting for the diagnosis but Harry didn’t seem to care about that right now.

Louis gasped when the wolf’s cheek, which had been scenting his neck, suddenly moved and Harry’s warm lips took their place.

“H..Hazza!” he tried to sound firm but Harry just growled, his hands grasping Louis’ waist in a firm grip.

Louis had to bite his lip to stop himself from moaning and he prayed to any entity that would listen that he wouldn’t get hard right now. In a room full of werewolves who could smell arousal, that would be the most humiliating thing possible!

“Just as I thought!” James’ voice cut into his worried thoughts, “It’s rare for a born wolf to have trouble with merging their wolf and human sides. The wolf grows up as an innate part of us so it’s instinctive and seamless to switch between forms. Alpha Styles though, seems to be having the same trouble a newly turned Beta werewolf would experience”.

“What would cause that?” Liam asked, “The Alpha’s never had any problems before as far as we’re aware”.

“Maybe some kind of shock or trauma,” James answered, “It would have to be something significant for it to affect him this badly. Basically, Alpha Styles’ wolf remembers everything about the time he’s been away from the pack but it can’t seem to communicate those memories to his human side. It’s what we call a _memory block_ ”. 

Louis managed to push against Harry’s chest, hard enough that the wolf stumbled back a step with a confused whine.

Louis took that opportunity to slip past him and walk towards James. He didn’t make it far before Harry’s arms wrapped around his waist again, the wolf growling in his ear.

“ _Mine._ My Lou.”

Louis knew his heartbeat had sped up and that every wolf in the room could hear it. Even if they hadn’t, his red cheeks would have given it away. 

The statement itself wasn’t new. It was a phrase Harry had often used to say when they had been teenagers, paired up in teams for friendly football matches.

He remembered one time when Niall, having been newly initiated into the pack, had begged Louis to join his team. Louis had rolled his eyes but decided to humour the Beta. He had barely managed to take a step in the wolf’s direction before Harry’s arms came around him, imprisoning him against his chest.

“No!” Harry’s voice was playful but he still growled the words with enough power that Niall’s eyes widened and the Beta took a step back, “Louis’ mine! My Lou”.

“I know,” Niall had nodded, sincerely, “I didn’t mean to challenge you, Alpha”.

Louis had just laughed and patted Harry’s cheek before twisting out of his arms and making him chase him and the ball down the field. 

Still, Niall had never asked Louis to abandon Harry’s team after that incident.

Now though, Harry’s voice wasn’t playful or joking. It was full of intent and an inkling of desperation as the Alpha murmured the words over and over again, pressing his lips against Louis’ skin as if he could engrave them there by the force of pure will.

“Harry?” Louis wasn’t proud of the way his voice cracked. 

Having Harry’s arms around him as he meticulously scented Louis’ neck and collarbone…it just made Louis feel safe. Loved. Complete.

Which… _what?_

Louis shook himself out of such thoughts to focus on the Alpha, who was now, once again, rubbing his cheek against Louis’ neck, drenching him in his scent.

“Harry!” Louis cleared his throat and pulled away, blushing when Harry made a needy whine and tried to reach for him again.

“Talk to his wolf,” Zayn’s voice said.

Louis turned to the Beta to see he had been observing Louis and Harry’s interaction with a knowing look on his face.

“I…what?” Louis asked, confused.

“You’re his…” Zayn paused to share a look with Liam, who subtly shook his head in response. 

Zayn sighed before continuing, “You’re his co-Alpha. Talk to his wolf. If what Alpha Corden says is true, his human side isn’t aware of what’s happening right now.”

“Zayn’s right,” James added, “Try and coax his wolf into retreating so Harry’s human side can come out again”.

Louis stared at all of them as if they had grown an extra set of heads. He had _no clue_ how to talk to Harry’s wolf, as Zayn put it.

But they were all staring at him expectantly so he sighed and turned in Harry’s arms, looking the older man straight in the eye.

His mind flashed back to the night Harry had returned, how he hadn’t seemed to recognise the pack until Louis had called him by his nickname. His nickname…which was something associated with his human side. 

“Hazza, you in there?” Louis asked gently, reaching up to cup Harry’s cheek in one hand. 

The wolf let out a soft rumble, leaning into the touch and blinking at Louis slowly, almost sleepily.

“Hazza? Come back to me, love.”

Harry’s eyes seemed to clear, the slightly clouded look disappearing. He blinked a few times before asking, voice hoarse, “Lou? What happened?”

“Your wolf…took over for a bit,” Louis answered.

Harry frowned, letting go of Louis to turn his gaze on James.

“That’s not supposed to happen. I’ve always had perfect control over my wolf.”

“Yes, well…we think that control’s been tampered with in some way,” James answered, “Maybe you experienced some sort of trauma. Something your wolf remembers but your human side doesn’t. It seems that the communication between both sides has been affected”.

“How do we fix it?” Louis asked because Harry suddenly looked lost; _terrified_.

“Alpha Styles is going to have to re-learn control of his wolf, just as a Beta would. As for his memory, my best guess is it’ll come back to him bit by bit and his control will most likely improve as it returns. You said he remembers some things, so whatever’s blocking his memories isn’t permanent. I know it’s not what you want to hear, but I’m afraid the only cure for this is time.”

Louis squeezed Harry’s hand comfortingly as they thanked James and trooped back out to the car, knowing more than they had when they had first arrived and yet, nowhere near enough.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

In the rush of returning to the Manor and explaining to all the Betas what James had told them, Louis would have forgotten about the leather notebook he’d found if Liam hadn’t handed it to him.

The Beta passed it over to Louis with a bashful grin, his expression turning pleased when Louis scratched him behind the ears.

“You _stole_ a book, Liam?” Jesy asked, sounding impressed.

Liam immediately frowned but before he could explain, Zayn jumped to his defence.

“James gave it to the Alpha,” he growled softly, nodding at Louis, “Liam just made sure we didn’t leave it behind”.

“Huh. What is it then? Some sort of history book?” Nick asked, eyeing the leather-bound book warily. 

Dex, who had been snuggling with Harry, climbed off the werewolf’s lap to crawl over to the cushion Louis was sitting on. 

Louis picked him up without conscious thought, letting the toddler settle against him in what, by now, was a natural position. 

“No, it’s just an empty notebook,” Niall supplied, disinterested in the proceedings, “What are we having for dinner?”

They settled on pizza and, it was with obvious reluctance that Louis got up before the pizza delivery arrived.

“I’d love to stay…” he started to say when the Betas whined.

“But his mum’s expecting him home for dinner,” Harry said, firmly enough that the other wolves let out silent sighs but otherwise, made no more noise on the topic, “I’ll drive you back”.

Louis smiled and nodded in agreement, passing Dex over to Aidan, who settled the toddler on the sofa next to him and Nick.

“Training starts tomorrow after school!” Liam called out as Louis and Harry left the Manor.

“Thanks for the heads-up, Liam! Gonna have to cancel my plans with my boyfriend now,” Louis joked, rolling his eyes when he heard the Betas burst into laughter.

He glanced up at Harry, expecting him to be equally amused, but all he saw was a tight look of anger on the Alpha’s face. Before he could ask, Harry had opened the car and was sliding into the driver’s seat, flicking the passenger door open for him.

 

It was only once the car had started to make it’s way down the drive that Harry suddenly asked, voice gruff, “Do you actually have a boyfriend?”

Louis was so startled by the question that he stared at Harry in silence for a few seconds. Then, he started to laugh.

Harry growled but halfway through, the sound turned into more of a whine. Louis cut off his laughter when he felt Harry’s hand brush against the nape of his neck, demanding his attention.

“Trust me, Hazza. If I had a boyfriend, the whole town would know! I’d be screaming it from every rooftop,” Louis chuckled before his smile turned a little more self-conscious, “But no. I’m still just lonely little me. Maybe Prince Charming’s just around the corner though, eh?”

Harry didn’t answer for a minute and Louis turned to stare out the window, figuring that this particular topic of conversation was over for now.

“You might have had,” the wolf huffed quietly a moment later, surprising Louis.

“Huh?” he asked, confused.

“A boyfriend. You might have had a boyfriend in the last two years and I wouldn’t have known about it because I wasn’t here,” Harry’s voice contained a trace of self-loathing, “And I can’t even give you an explanation for _why_ I wasn’t here because I’ve got a fucking memory block!”

“Hey! Don’t blame yourself for that.” Louis began, reaching out to place a hand on Harry’s arm.

When the wolf’s jaw only tightened further, he sighed and commanded, “Pull over, Hazza. We’re gonna talk about this”.

“Don’t want to,” Harry mumbled, petulantly, but he still did as Louis asked.

While Harry shut off the car’s engine, Louis studied him silently. His shoulders were drawn back, tight with tension. 

“Go for a run,” Louis stated, holding Harry’s gaze when the wolf turned to give him an incredulous look.

“What?” 

“A run, Harold,” Louis huffed, pointing at the trees of the forest that bordered the road, “It always helps the Betas clear their heads. Go for a run and then we’ll talk”.

Harry looked as if he were going to ignore Louis’ request but, after a moment, he sighed and pushed his door open, stepping out of the car. Louis opened his door as well, jumping onto the bonnet of the car, prepared to wait for as long as Harry needed.

“Harry?” Louis found himself calling out before the wolf had taken more than three steps away from him.

Harry turned back at once, giving him a concerned look.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, eyes scanning the area for any threats.

“Nothing! I just…” Louis cleared his throat, face heating up as he muttered, “Just wanted to tell you to stay close to the road. So you don’t get lost or anything”.

Harry raised an eyebrow.

“I know I’m being paranoid but just…be careful. Please?”

Louis felt a hand under his jaw, tilting his face back and when he dragged his eyes up, he was met with Harry’s face, extremely close to his own. 

He could feel the older man’s breath against his skin when Harry murmured, “You too. Stay safe”.

Louis nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat when Harry brushed his palm against his cheek, giving him a soft smile before turning away to start his run.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It was about twenty minutes later that Louis felt someone’s eyes on him. The hair at the back of his neck stood up and, after having spent most of his life around werewolves, he knew better than to ignore his instincts.

He slowly slipped off the car’s bonnet, glancing at the road, which was unusually empty. Well, maybe not that unusual. It was one of the side roads, the fastest route to Louis’ house but not one many locals frequented.

The woods surrounded the road, dense thickets of trees making it impossible to spot anything that might be hiding amongst the foliage. 

He bit back his scream when he heard twigs crack behind him. 

“Lou? Is everything alright?” 

Louis sagged with relief when Harry’s arms came around him, pulling him against the wolf’s body. He hid his face in the crook of Harry’s neck for a few seconds, hearing Harry murmur soothing words against his hair as the Alpha’s hand stroked over his back.

“What happened? I heard your heartbeat going crazy,” Harry whispered, a hint of a protective growl in his voice, and Louis collected himself enough to pull back.

“It’s…nothing. Just thought someone was watching me.”

Harry’s body immediately stiffened, posture defensive. His arms tightened around Louis as he tilted his head back to sniff the air.

“I can’t smell anyone but you and I,” he answered after a long moment.

Normally, that would have been enough to get Louis to relax but something still made his skin prickle with unease.

“Let’s just get out of here,” he muttered.

Harry obliged at once. It was only when the car left the road behind that Louis felt his body relax, assured of safety once more. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Perhaps it was because of Louis’ earlier freak out but Harry insisted on walking him to the door of his house.

“Mum’s home,” Louis stated as they walked up the drive, “Want to say hello?”

Harry bit his lip in thought before shaking his head, giving Louis a bashful shrug.

“If I talk to her, I’ll feel guilty about what I’m planning on doing later.”

Louis raised an eyebrow in question.

“Sneaking into your bedroom,” Harry elaborated, “Dex won’t…he just sleeps better with you nearby. He hasn’t had nightmares in over a week”.

“He usually has nightmares?” Louis asked, concerned.

Harry shrugged.  
“It’s not normally too bad. He never remembers what he dreamt about when he wakes up but it’s good to see him get a good night’s rest. He finds comfort in your scent.”

“Like the Betas?” Louis frowned, “I thought you said Dex was human”.

“He is,” Harry nodded, “But he has certain wolf traits. Haven’t you noticed how he scents pack members? And a few months ago, he howled at the moon”.

Harry’s eyes lit up and Louis realised that was a recovered memory. He couldn’t help the way his own lips tilted into a smile.

He reached up to cup Harry’s cheek and the wolf grinned, leaning down to touch their foreheads together.

“You’re going to be fine, Hazza,” Louis promised as Harry looked at him with trusting eyes, “You’ll train with the Betas until your control comes back. It’s just going to take a bit of time”.

Harry nodded, his hand cupping the nape of Louis’ neck. Louis took the hint, tilting his head to the side so Harry could run his lips over the skin, scenting him.

“I’ll see you soon,” the wolf murmured after a minute of thorough scenting.

He watched Harry get back in the car but he didn’t hear the car leave until he had walked into the house and locked the door behind him.

“Overprotective,” Louis murmured to himself, fondly.

He startled when he heard his mum’s answering chuckle.

“Mum! That was…I mean, it wasn’t Harry…well, it was but he couldn’t stop by because…”

Jay just gave him a knowing smile and said, “Friday” before proceeding to set the dinner table.

 

After dinner, as Louis was washing up, Jay casually added, “I’ve left the backdoor unlocked for your nightly visitors,” before heading for her own bedroom.

Louis gaped at her retreating back, trying not to flush guiltily. He didn’t quite manage.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It was as he was getting ready for bed that he glanced at the leather-bound notebook again. He gazed at the pencilled portrait when his eyes caught onto something he had missed before.

At the bottom right corner of the page, in green ink, were printed the words:  
**_'PROPERTY OF AMELIA CORDEN'_**

Louis murmured the name out loud. He assumed it was James’ great-grandmother. A part of him wondered why she hadn’t written or drawn anything more in the book.

He ran a finger along the page, tracing the name but wrenched his hand back with a gasp when he felt a strange tingling course through it. After a second of deliberation, he reached for the page again, tentatively gliding his fingers down it. 

This time, the tingling wasn’t as pronounced, more of a warmth than ran along his skin. It felt… _inviting_. Louis frowned but before he could ponder any further, he was greeted by the sound of his door opening. 

He flipped the book shut and threw it on the table, turning just in time to catch a handful of excited toddler.

“Ma!” Dex grinned, pressing a wet kiss to Louis’ nose before pulling back.

His cheeks dimpled and eyes sparkled as he asked, “Sleep?”

“You got it, love,” Louis grinned back, carrying the toddler over to his bed and leaving Harry, who had been silently watching the interaction from the doorway, to shut the door.

Dex settled into his position on the bed, pushing back the blankets with his small hands and whining softly until Louis settled down next to him.

From the corner of his eye, Louis noticed that Harry was taking off his jeans and shirt, leaving just his pants on. That too, was normal.

Still, he found his eyes lingering on the exposed skin of Harry’s back, fascinated by the way his muscles moved as he pulled off his shirt.

“Dada?” Dex enquired when the room was suddenly plunged into darkness. 

Louis too, made a soft, questioning noise.

“Right here, babe,” Harry murmured and Louis wasn’t sure which of them he was talking to.

A second later, he was surprised to feel the wolf’s warmth along his back. Normally, Harry would lay on Dex’s other side, enveloping them both in his arms because, as an Alpha, he felt the need to protect his pack members.

“Not going to protect Dex tonight?” Louis teased, reaching over to tug the toddler closer to him. Dex snuggled under his arm, making a content noise, seemingly not caring that his dad was out of arm’s reach.

Harry settled in behind Louis, drawing his palm along the younger boy’s chest and stopping at his abdomen. Louis’ muscles twitched under the warmth of Harry’s hand, their bodies pressed close enough together that he didn’t need a blanket to ward off the chill.

“You’ll protect him,” Harry murmured back, nose buried against the nape of Louis’ neck and voice drowsy with sleep, “He’s safe with you, Lou”.

Louis didn’t know for sure but he had a feeling that an Alpha trusting someone else with his child was a big deal. 

Instead of answering, Louis ran his fingers through Dex’s soft curls. Dex responded the same way Harry always did, by letting out a quiet purr and shifting so his head was buried against Louis’ chest, arms clutching lightly at his shirt.

“Head massages seem to be every Styles’ kryptonite,” Louis chuckled.

Harry huffed softly in reply but he didn’t protest, tightening his arms around Louis instead. 

As Louis let Harry’s warmth and Dex’s steady heart lull him to sleep, he didn’t spare a thought for the leather-bound notebook on his desk.

The notebook whose first page now housed a different image to the one he had admired; a sketch of a nineteen year old boy with a very familiar face. Right below the sketch, the green ink had shifted to read something new:  
**_'PROPERTY OF LOUIS TOMLINSON'_**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the rabbit hole becomes deeper and more confusing :) I promise all this build-up is going somewhere and that things will eventually make sense! I love hearing your thoughts and theories so please let me know what you think might happen!  
> Until the next update, love to you all <3 xx


	8. VIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Once again, a huge thank you to everyone who commented and left kudos on the last chapter! Your comments never fail to make me smile :)  
> Most of you have been incredibly understanding about my erratic update schedule (or lack of one!) but I just want to let those who aren't aware of it know- yes, updates for this fic are slow. I try to do them monthly but sometimes, life gets in the way and they take a bit longer. I know it's frustrating to read a WIP so I truly appreciate your patience! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this update! <3 xx

Louis was not nervous, no matter what Perrie, Nick and Jesy said! He was perfectly calm and composed, sitting on his bed with the laptop open as he skyped his four Betas. Out of the four, Zayn was the only one who was attempting to be helpful.

“It’s gonna be fine!” Zayn told him as Louis worried his lip between his teeth, “Your mum adores him!”

“That doesn’t mean she won’t give Harry a hard time for being MIA for two years,” Louis muttered.

“It’s just one dinner,” Perrie reasoned, “You’ll get through it.”

“One dinner where we’re planning to act like Harry’s perfectly fine and has no memory problems! You lot have met my Mum,” Louis gave each of them a pointed look, “You know how she gets when she thinks we’re hiding something from her. She’s going to _interrogate_ him!”

“It’s so cute how protective you both are of each other,” Jesy cooed.

“Huh? Who?” Louis asked, confused.

“Seriously?” Nick fixed Louis with a less than impressed glare, “You _still_ haven’t figured it out? Even-”

“Nick!” Zayn interrupted, his eyes flashing and the other Beta paused.

“Oh come on!” Nick protested, “It’s pretty much our job to help him!”

“Not with this,” Zayn hissed back.

“Not after last time,” Perrie added, a guilty flush on her face.

“Well, how were we supposed to know-” Nick tried to say but Jesy cut him off with a stern, “Alpha’s orders, remember?”

Orders? What kind of orders had Harry given them?

Nick let out a long-suffering breath but stopped talking.

“What are you on about?” Louis asked out loud, trying to understand what the half-formed sentences his Betas kept muttering meant, “It’s your job to help who?”

Four sets of eyes stared guiltily at him for a second. Perrie was the first to recover.

“You, of course!” Perrie gave him an innocent grin that didn’t fool him for a second.

“With what?” he asked, suspiciously.

“Your outfit for tonight,” Jesy answered. 

Louis’ frown deepened.

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing now?” he demanded.

All four Betas eyed his sweatpants and baggy jumper with disdain.

“Everything,” Nick muttered while Jesy gave Louis a disappointed look that clearly meant he could do better. 

“It’s just dinner with my Mum,” Louis tried once more but he had seen that determined gleam in his Betas’ eyes before.

“We’ll be there in five!” Perrie stated, Zayn, Jesy and Nick nodding in agreement.

“It’s really not necessary-”

Louis trailed off as the call disconnected. Lovely friends he had.

“Alright then,” he muttered, feeling nervous again now that he didn’t have anyone to help him take his mind off the impending dinner.

“It’ll all go fine,” he reassured himself. 

If all else failed, his plan was to distract his mum with Dex because no one could resist a cute toddler, right?

He had it under control. Seriously. He was _not_ nervous!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Never again, he vowed to himself as he watched Nick and Jesy rummage through his wardrobe, throwing half his clothes in the bin. Never again would he agree to let them help him.

Well, he hadn’t technically agreed to it this time either. 

“Do you not own _anything_ that could be considered sexy?” Nick whined, pulling a disgusted face at Louis’ favourite pair of jeans, before chucking it onto the floor.

“Hold up! Let’s get something straight here,” Louis stated from his position in front of the bathroom mirror, where Perrie and Zayn were styling his hair, the latter with his hand firmly planted on Louis’ shoulder to keep him from attempting to escape, “I’m not wearing anything _sexy_ whilst having dinner with my mother!”

“And the Alpha,” Zayn pointed out with a smirk on his face.

“That doesn’t…I’m not wearing anything ‘sexy’ in front of Harry either!” Louis answered, his cheeks suddenly heating up at the thought of-no!

He wasn’t going to think about that!

“These look a tad too small for you,” Jesy’s voice brought him back to reality.

He glanced over to see she was holding up a toddler-sized pair of jeans.

“That’s Dex’s,” Louis replied, a smile creeping up on his face, “He was wearing it the night him and Harry returned. I was going to give it a wash but I haven’t had the time yet.”

“There’s something in one of the pockets,” Jesy stated, reaching in to pull out a metallic object.

“What is it?” Zayn asked, as Perrie finished applying the final coat of hairspray to Louis’ hair.

“A ring,” Jesy answered, sounding bewildered.

She threw it over to Zayn, who caught it with ease and passed it to a curious Louis.

The cold metal of the ring sat snugly in Louis’ palm. He studied it with a frown. There wasn’t anything particularly fancy about this piece of jewellery. It was simply a wide metal band with small blue gemstones set around it.

“It looks too big to be Dex’s,” Perrie stated, peeking at it over Louis’ shoulder.

Louis shrugged but there was something about the ring that had him on edge. His fingers tingled as he ran them over it and he wasn’t sure why but he had the feeling this ring was older than it appeared.

“I’ll show it to Harry. Maybe he’ll know,” he murmured.

“Put it away for now,” Nick’s voice cut across, “Because I’ve just found you the _perfect_ outfit!”

Before Louis could protest, Nick had grabbed the ring and tossed it carelessly onto the bedside table, shoving a handful of clothes at Louis.

“Try it on!” he grinned, shooing Zayn and Perrie out of the bathroom and shutting the door behind him, leaving Louis alone.

 

Five minutes later, Louis was ready.

“Huh.” he blinked, studying his reflection in the mirror, “Nick actually knows what he’s doing.”

“Told you!” he heard a delighted voice crow from outside the closed door, “Never doubt my fashion skills again!” 

Louis rolled his eyes before stepping out of the bathroom, spinning at Nick’s insistence so Jesy, Perrie and Zayn could survey his new look. 

“I’m not going to thank you,” Louis muttered, petulantly, “I didn’t want this makeover.”

“You’re not fooling anyone,” Nick grinned, “You love it!”

Louis didn’t argue, because…well. Nick had kept it simple, with a plain white T-shirt and tight black jeans. The shirt’s neckline swooped low enough to reveal his collarbones but high enough to be considered decent. The metallic chain of the necklace Harry had given him could be seen, the locket half-hidden by the shirt.

Louis’ hair had been artfully tussled by Zayn and Perrie and, even though he was certain they hadn’t used any makeup on him, his eyes looked bluer than usual, drawing attention to his face. Overall, he looked… _good_.

 

“Ladies and lads,” Jesy stated, pretending to wipe away a tear from her eye, “Our work here is done!”

“Just in time too,” Zayn muttered, cocking his head to the side, “I hear the Alpha’s car coming down the street”.

“And with that, we bid you adieu,” Nick said, giving him a wave.

“You could use the door like normal people,” Louis pointed out as Nick started climbing out of his bedroom window.

“What would be the fun in that?” Perrie answered before following suit.

“And, strictly speaking, we’re not supposed to here today…,” Jesy trailed off, eyes widening as if she had let something slip, before leaping out of the window in one smooth motion.

“Have fun!” Zayn smirked at him. 

Louis opened his mouth to point out that he was having a family dinner with Harry, Dex and his mum, not going out clubbing but the Beta had already clambered out.

Louis waited until their footsteps faded before walking over to shut the window. He took a couple of calming breaths and checked his reflection in the mirror one last time. When he heard the knock on his front door, he straightened his shoulders.

Everything would be just fine.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Everything was not fine. The moment Louis opened the door, his attention was caught by the man that stood there. 

Harry looked…he looked like a divine entity, in a black shirt that had the sleeves rolled up to just above his elbows. He had paired it with striped pants that clung to his legs and the ensemble was completed by a pair of glittery, black boots.

His hair had been left loose, the way Louis had always loved best, falling to his shoulders in a wavy cascade. To Harry’s right, stood Dex, dressed in matching boots, with a bright smile on his face.

Louis swallowed, his eyes moving of their own accord back to Harry. He managed to glance up at him after a few seconds, cheeks heating with embarrassment at the way he had been blatantly staring, only to find that the wolf was staring at him in much the same manner.

“You look good,” Louis blurted out, face flushing a shade darker once his brain processed what he’d just said.

“You too,” Harry replied, eyes sweeping over Louis again before he swallowed, “Really good.”

There was another beat of silent staring before Louis giggled.

“The Betas?” he enquired, waving a hand in Harry and Dex’s general direction.

The matching boots seemed like something Niall would come up with.

“The Betas,” Harry confirmed, a matching grin entering his face.

And just like that, the air between them was comfortable and familiar once more.

“They’ve got too much spare time on their hands if they have time to perform makeovers,” Louis laughed, reaching down to pick up Dex, who was looking up at him with expectant eyes.

“Clearly,” Harry sighed, stepping inside when Louis opened the door wider.

“Ma!” Dex pressed wet kisses to Louis’ cheek, making the man laugh, before nosing against his shoulder and neck. 

“And what did you get up to today, Mister?” Louis asked when the toddler started to rub his cheek against Louis’.

Dex made soft whimpering sounds in answer, too focused on his task to bother with words.

“He missed you,” Harry replied and Louis glanced over to see the wolf’s gaze was still on him. 

Harry’s hands were curled tightly by his side and the Alpha was biting his lip, as if to stop himself from saying something further.

“I missed him too,” Louis answered, pressing a soft kiss to Dex’s feathery hair. 

“Missed hearing your sweet voice, love,” he cooed to the boy, who gave him a dimpled grin in return before requesting, “Down?”

Louis obliged, letting the child crawl along the carpeted floor to explore.

“Mum just ran out to the store to grab some ice-cream for dessert,” Louis explained, frowning when Harry continued to stand by the doorway, just staring.

“You alright, Hazza?” he asked, concerned.

“Lou,” Harry licked his lips, cleared his throat before continuing, “I…my wolf…I just need to…”

He trailed off, reaching out a hesitant hand and Louis could have punched himself in the face for not realising sooner. 

Louis had come home straight from school, too nervous about the dinner to think about stopping by the Manor, which meant that he still carried the scents of the other students he had mingled with during school.

As an Alpha, Harry was more sensitive to such scents than the Betas. His instincts must have been screaming at him to scent Louis and cover him in the familiar smell of pack.

“Yeah! Of course,” he moved closer, letting Harry wrap him up in a hug, “You don’t have to ask to scent me, Harry. You know that.”

The Alpha growled softly in acknowledgement before pressing his lips to the back of Louis’ ear and sliding them down. 

Louis didn’t whimper but it was a near thing.

He tilted his head obligingly when Harry’s nose nudged at his jaw. His arms automatically clutched the back of Harry’s shirt, probably wrinkling the material, when the wolf started pressing wet kisses down the column of his throat.

It was all about scent, Louis reminded himself but he couldn’t stop his body from responding. He let out a soft groan and Harry growled in response, the Alpha’s arms tightening around him.

Harry moved one of his arms to Louis’ jaw, tracing it with his thumb as his lips moved up to suck a mark below it. 

Harry had used to suck marks on him all the time when they had been children. This was the first time he had done it in a long while though!

“Hazza?” Louis asked, his voice coming out raspy.

Harry gave the mark one last lick before pulling back to rest his forehead against Louis’. He was panting, his arms still tight around the younger boy, unable to let go just yet.

“Sorry,” Harry finally breathed out, his voice thick, “I’m still…struggling to control my wolf”.

His eyes were fixed on Louis, filled with some emotion that Louis had seen before but still couldn’t name.

“Hazza,” Louis murmured back, clutching the wolf just as tightly.

Harry let out a shuddering breath and Louis found his gaze drifting to the older man’s lips. He gulped, eyes flickering back up to meet Harry’s.

“Lou,” Harry breathed back, his voice barely a whisper, “I need to tell y-”

The front door chose that moment to click open and Harry and Louis sprang apart, both flushing guiltily, as if they had been caught doing something they shouldn’t have been.

Louis’ heart was still beating fast. His hands already missed the warm feel of Harry’s muscles under them and…

He forced himself to stop thinking about that and turned to give his Mum a slightly forced smile. 

“Mum! Harry’s here!” he stated, unnecessarily, waving his arm towards the startled wolf.

“Yes, I can see that,” Jay answered, raising an eyebrow at her son and his best friend, “Something going on I should know about, boys?”

“What?” Louis’ eyes went wide, “No! No, we were just..it’s just a…it’s a pack thing, right Harry?”

He glanced over at Harry who had scooped up Dex and was holding him in front of him as if the toddler were a shield…or a peace offering.

“Yep!” Harry nodded, giving Jay a nervous look and avoiding glancing at Louis altogether, “A pack thing. To do with scents and..uh…I have a baby?”

“Are you asking me or telling me?” Jay asked, eyebrows lifting even further.

Louis winced as Harry’s panicked gaze caught his. Clearly, his mum wasn’t going to forgive Harry straight off the bat for disappearing without a goodbye and leaving her only son in charge of a pack of werewolves.

“Uh..telling? I mean, telling,” Harry cleared his throat, extending his arms to display a confused Dex to Jay. “This is my son, Declan. Dex for short.”

Louis smiled. It still made him feel warm inside to know that Harry had decided to officially adopt Louis’ nickname for the toddler.

Jay’s gaze softened when it landed on the boy and she placed her shopping down and held out her arms. 

Harry deposited Dex in them and stepped closer to Louis, leaning down to whisper in his ear, “My backup plan is to use him as a distraction.”

Louis had to bite back his laugh. 

“Same,” he answered, “Great minds think alike, obviously!”

“Oh my! Have you grown even cuter since the last time I saw you?” Jay cooed at Dex, who had thrown his arms around her in a hug.

“Cute!” Dex exclaimed happily, clapping his hands at having learnt a new word.

“Two years old and already egotistical,” Harry muttered.

Jay chuckled and Louis felt himself relax slightly. His Mum couldn’t be _too_ angry if Harry could still make her laugh!

“He’s not two yet,” Louis pointed out and Harry gave him a grin.

“His birthday’s next week.”

He could tell from Harry’s pleased smile that this was something he had remembered recently.

“Proud of you,” he whispered quietly but not quietly enough because Jay’s head shot up and she fixed them with an inscrutable look.

“Why are you proud that Harry remembered his son’s birthday?” she asked.

“It’s an inside joke!” Louis blurted out at the same time Harry said, “Because I forgot Niall’s the other day!”

Niall’s birthday was in September but what his Mum didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.

“We have an inside joke that started because Harry forgot Niall’s birthday,” Louis meshed the lies together, hoping his Mum wouldn’t see through his nervous smile.

She stared at them for another second before chuckling and looking away.

“You two are as weird as ever,” she told them, laughing at the matching affronted gasps she got from both her son and Harry. “Come into the kitchen, Harry. I’ve made your favourite for dinner.”

“Kale lasagne?” Harry’s smile got even wider, “I _love_ kale lasagne!”

Louis, on the other hand, did not but if bonding over their mutual love for kale was what it took for Jay to forgive Harry, he could cope with it.

Harry and Jay sat next to each other during dinner, talking about healthy recipes for pack breakfasts and, for a moment, Louis felt as if no time had passed at all since their last dinner together.

“It was kale then too,” he muttered, eyeing the disgusting green leaves that no amount of cheese could cover.

“Mac!” Dex giggled, scooping up another spoonful of mac and cheese.

The toddler had refused to even try the lasagne, pulling a face at Harry when his dad had attempted to give him some.

“Louis used to be like that,” Jay chuckled before correcting herself, “He’s _still_ like that.”

Louis shrugged, eating the mac and cheese his Mum had made. Technically, it had been for Dex but she’d made enough for two people.

“Unhealthy, Lou,” Harry chided but there was an indulging twinkle in his eyes.

Louis poked out his tongue at the wolf because he was mature like that, before digging back into his tasty dinner.

He missed the way Harry’s eyes stayed on him, a fond smile on his face. He also missed the way Jay watched their interaction, a thoughtful look in her eyes.

 

Dinner was a success, Louis decided, as he loaded up the dishwasher. Jay was snapping pictures of Harry and Dex, saying she needed to add it to the family album, which was a clear sign that Harry had been forgiven.

Bursts of laughter from the living room kept floating into the kitchen so Louis was surprised when he felt Harry’s arms come around his waist. He was drawn back against the Alpha’s warm body and he tilted his head instinctually, so Harry could rub their cheeks together.

“Thought you’d have taken over the photography by now,” Louis grinned up at him, thinking about the time when Harry had been a teenager and had wanted to become a professional photographer.

He had wandered around with a camera for a few months, mostly taking photos of Louis in various poses, before the craze had faded.

“Jay’s taken plenty of photos,” Harry answered, “She’s telling him about his grandma now.”

Louis rinsed off the last dish and threw it in the dishwasher before turning around. He reached up to cup Harry’s cheek.

“Are you okay?”

It had been years since Anne’s death but Louis could still remember the grief-stricken boy that had shown up at his door, eyes red and cheeks wet. 

Harry nodded, letting Louis draw his head down until he could breathe in the younger boy’s calming scent.

“She’s just telling him funny stories,” he mumbled against the skin of Louis’ neck, slouching further into his hold, “It’s nice. I missed dinners with you and Jay”.

“I missed them too,” Louis sighed, letting his hand card through Harry’s hair, scratching lightly against his scalp to make him purr.

They stood there in silence for a few minutes, basking in the comforting touch of the other before Harry finally pulled back.

“Lou,” Harry started to say before he abruptly stopped.

“What?” Louis asked, raising an eyebrow at the look in Harry’s eyes.

It was the same look he always wore whenever he had something he needed to tell Louis but wasn’t sure how to go about it.

“Alright. Spill!” Louis pouted up at the wolf.

Harry huffed out a laugh and opened his mouth again but this time, he was interrupted by Jay’s voice calling out, “Harry? I think Dex is tired, love.”

“Never mind. It’s nothing that can’t wait,” Harry shook his head, leaning down to rub his cheeks against Louis’ again when the younger man’s pout grew, “Dex and I need to get going.”

“Mum knows you’re gonna sneak back into my room once she’s gone to bed,” Louis pointed out, “You may as well just stay and save yourselves the trouble.”

“Still,” Harry mumbled, pressing one last kiss to Louis’ cheek before stepping back, “It’s the proper thing to do, innit?”

“There’s nothing proper about you, Styles,” Louis teased and Harry gave him a smirk and a playful wink that made the butterflies in Louis’ stomach flutter.

It only took a few minutes for Harry and Dex to get ready to leave. Louis followed them out the front door, feeling suddenly clingy, even though he knew Harry and Dex would be in his room later tonight. 

He wasn’t the only one reluctant to let them go. Jay was still holding Dex, insisting she would walk them to the car.

“Mum,” Louis finally chuckled, “Unhand the baby.”

“I’m just saying-” Jay began but was cut off by Dex suddenly growling.

“Is he…?” Jay gave Harry a wide-eyed look but the man had stiffened, eyes starting to flash.

“Louis?” Jay wasn’t easily scared but she had never actually experienced any of the wolves shifting around her.

Harry hadn’t shifted yet but Louis could tell his wolf wasn’t too far from the surface. Before Louis could say or do anything, Harry threw back his head and let out one, long howl. 

It was a familiar call, albeit one he hadn’t heard in a long while. 

“He’s alerting the pack of danger,” Louis murmured, stepping forward to take Dex from his Mum.

The boy was still making soft growls in his throat but, when he realised Louis was the one who was holding him, he relaxed, the growls turning into whines that he hid against the older man’s neck.

“What’s got you scared, love?” Louis asked softly before turning to look at Harry, who was letting out soft growls of his own.

“Hazza?” Louis kept his voice quiet, familiar with the laser sharp focus of Harry’s gaze that meant there was a threat nearby, “What is it?”

A series of howls filled the air, the pack answering Harry’s call.

Harry was suddenly in front of him, his back to Louis’ front, no longer growling but posture defensive. Louis made to step around him but the Alpha shot out a hand, catching Louis’ wrist in a tight grip, just short of being painful.

“Stay,” he growled at Louis, Alpha tone coming into play and, while Louis would have normally protested such a command, Harry’s flashing eyes held more fear and worry in them then he had ever seen before.

“Okay,” Louis murmured, heart racing, not knowing what had provoked such a protective reaction from Harry, “I just wanted to take a lo-”

“Louis?” His Mum’s voice caught his attention.

Jay was standing a little to the side, eyes focused on something. She pointed with a shaking hand, eyes wide.

“Someone’s been here,” she whispered.

Louis turned to look in the direction she had pointed and had to stifle his own gasp. Dex whined again, gnawing gently on Louis’ collarbone as he curled up even closer to the man.

Louis’ car, which had been parked in the driveway, now sported four flat tyres. Each tyre had a set of claw marks, drawn purposefully through it.

“An Alpha,” Harry growled, eyes focused on the claw marks. 

He let go of Louis to take a step closer.

“A rogue?” Louis asked, splaying one hand protectively over Dex’s back.

The child was shaking with fear. 

“I can’t tell,” Harry sounded frustrated, crouching down to inspect the marks, “Their scent smells…strange.”

“Shh, it’s gonna be okay,” Louis murmured to Dex, rocking him gently in an attempt to keep him calm.

It seemed to be working, for Dex’s whines teetered off, even though the child continued to hide his face against Louis’ neck.

“Liam,” Harry was speaking at a normal volume now, which meant Liam must be down the street somewhere, “Follow the scent. Let me know when you’ve found the Alpha.”

Louis’ mind reminded him of the threat Sarah Montgomery had mentioned.

“Don’t go by yourself,” Louis said, knowing that Liam could hear him even if he couldn’t see him, “Take Zayn and a couple of the others with you”.

Harry nodded in agreement and turned to Louis to convey Liam’s message.

“He says Zayn, Aidan and Cara are with him.”

“Okay,” Louis nodded, letting out a shaky breath, “Good. That’s good.”

“I’m staying here tonight,” Harry stated, eyes still scanning the neighbourhood for any further threats, “If the Alpha comes back…I’m not going to leave you here alone.”

Louis was about to point out that he wasn’t alone and that his Mum lived in the same house but one look at Jay and he could tell she approved of the plan.

“Okay,” Louis murmured again.

With the immediate threat gone, so had his burst of adrenaline-fuelled bravery. His legs felt shaky now.

“Let me take him,” Jay murmured, laying a hand on Louis’ shoulder and reaching for Dex.

The child had fallen asleep, lulled by Louis’ rocking motions and familiar touch.

Louis handed him over to his mum, numbly.

“You should both come inside,” Jay added as she started to walk towards the house, carrying Dex.

Louis nodded automatically, his eyes still focused on the slashed tyres. Who was this Alpha? Why were they threatening him?

He didn’t realise he had moved until Harry was suddenly in front of him, pulling him away from the car with a firm hold on his wrist.

“I’m okay,” Louis murmured, even though his heart had yet to calm down its frantic beating.

Harry ignored his half-hearted protests and pulled the younger boy closer until he was tucked up against his side, one of the wolf’s arms thrown around his shoulder.

“Hazza,” Louis’ voice cracked but in his defence, it wasn’t every day that he got a direct threat from someone with claws.

“They’re gone,” Harry growled out, turning to envelope Louis in his arms, “You’re safe, Lou.”

“I know,” Louis winced when his voice came out shaky, “I just…”

He took in a shuddering breath, trying to calm himself down.

“I want everyone to be safe. Dex, the pack…”

“We are,” Harry murmured back, smoothing Louis’ hair away from his forehead and letting the younger boy hide his face against his chest. “We are safe, love.”

With an unknown threat in the horizon, the words were a lie and they both knew it. Still, Louis let himself believe it for a moment as Harry led them back inside. He clung to Harry, only half paying attention as the wolf asked Jay to keep Dex with her for the night.

He was still too much in a state of shock to notice the worried look his mum gave him as she told Harry to take care of Louis.

His heartbeat only slowed down once Harry had climbed into bed with him and settled his arms around him, warming up his skin. Louis pressed back into his warmth, not having realised just how cold he had gotten, until this moment.

“I’m okay,” Louis said after ten minutes of silence during which Harry just held him close.

“You were scared,” Harry stated quietly. 

“Terrified,” Louis agreed, managing to chuckle now that the fear had receded somewhat.

Harry whined softly, nuzzling the back of Louis’ neck.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Louis said, quietly, “I’m glad you came back.”

“I promised you I would,” Harry replied as he rubbed a hand along the side of Louis’ body in a reassuring gesture.

“Liam’s down the street,” Harry murmured after a minute.

“Is everyone..?” Louis trailed off.

“Our pack’s safe,” Harry promised, resting his head on top of Louis’. “Liam and Zayn are keeping watch. The Betas decided they would take shifts tonight…just in case.”

Louis hummed, the last of his fear ebbing away now that he knew all the Betas were alright.

“Did they find anything?” he whispered after a few seconds, hands reaching back for Harry’s.

The wolf entwined their fingers together and let it rest against Louis’ stomach in a familiar form of comfort as he answered.

“The scent crossed over the border of our territory. The Corden pack will take care of it now.”

“But you’re worried,” Louis murmured, feeling the tension in Harry’s muscles where their bodies touched.

“Not worried,” Harry replied, slowly, “Just cautious”.

“Because a rogue Alpha slashed some tyres?”

“Because they slashed _your_ tyres,” Harry growled lowly, “They disrespected an Alpha on their own territory.”

Louis gave him a surprised look.

“How would they even know I’m an Alpha?” he asked, “I’m still human.”

“I introduced you as such to the Corden pack. Word travels fast among packs. Most werewolves will have heard of your official role by now.”

“They made it personal,” Louis murmured, something clicking into place in his head, “The person who slashed my tyres wanted to send a direct message to the pack, a warning”.

“A challenge,” Harry corrected, “They were challenging us.”

“Then why would they run off and hide?” Louis frowned, “Why wouldn’t they stay to fight?”

“I don’t know,” Harry admitted after a moment, “Maybe they’re biding their time. Whatever their plan is, we’ll be prepared.”

Louis nodded, pressing closer to the werewolf and letting the steady beat of Harry’s heart lull him to sleep. For now, no more needed to be said.

 

Louis woke up three hours later, choking on a scream. His entire body was covered in sweat and he was fighting against someone, trying to free himself but-

“Louis! Lou? Come on, babe. Please open your eyes,” Harry’s voice cut through the blinding panic and he blinked his eyes open to see that Harry was leaning over him, arms braced on either side of his head. 

It took Louis a moment to figure out that he was clutching onto Harry’s biceps, his fingernails digging in and causing pinpricks of blood to form.

“Sorry!” he gasped out and let go the moment he realised but Harry hardly seemed to notice, too busy tracing Louis’ face with his other hand.

“It was just a nightmare, Lou.”

“It was…there…I couldn’t _do_ anything!” Louis choked out through the tears that were streaming down his face.

“A nightmare,” Harry said, sitting up and pulling Louis onto his lap, rocking the boy the way he had used to do when Louis had gotten upset as a child. “Just a nightmare, Lou. It’s not real.”

Louis clung onto him, letting Harry’s words soothe him until his tears stopped falling.

“It felt real,” he murmured at last.

“I know,” Harry whined, softly, nuzzling Louis’ wet cheek, “But it was just a nightmare. You’re safe. I promise.”

Louis nodded, letting Harry comfort him for a few more minutes.

“Do you want to talk about it?” the Alpha asked, gently.

Louis shook his head. He couldn’t remember much of the nightmare. Nothing really, except a feeling of helplessness and a pair of grey eyes.

He glanced up to see the worry in Harry’s eyes.

“Just a nightmare, Hazza,” he murmured back the same words Harry had been saying, pressing a kiss to Harry’s cheek until the man smiled, “Let’s go back to sleep.”

Harry nodded and rearranged them so they were lying on their sides, facing each other. Louis had to admit he felt more grounded, being able to see Harry’s face in front of him. His hand reached out and wrapped around Harry’s arm, checking to see if the marks made by his nails had healed.

He was relieved to note they had. Harry drew him closer, nuzzling against Louis’ neck for a moment, both giving and taking comfort.

“He’s fine,” Harry growled out a second later and Louis realised he was talking to one of the Betas.

“Niall,” he answered Louis’ questioning look, “He wants to come and cuddle you but he’s _supposed_ to be guarding the house!”

Louis let out a weak chuckle.

“I’m fine, Nialler,” he said out loud and a howl answered him.

“Try not to wake up the whole neighbourhood,” Louis mumbled, smiling when Harry chuckled.

“Tomorrow,” Harry said, once the fear in Louis’ scent had lessened considerably, “I want you to start training with the pack.”

Louis raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Is this because of my nightmare?”

“I want you to be safe,” Harry answered.

“The pack keeps me safe,” Louis pointed out, “They always have.”

“Louis,” Harry huffed out, shuffling closer until all Louis could see were his green eyes, staring intently into his.

“I need to be _certain_ that you’re safe. I can’t even function when I think about-” Harry cut himself off, his hand grasping Louis’ jaw gently, “Please? Take part in the training, learn to fight. For me?”

Louis saw the desperate plea in Harry’s eyes and he knew the decision had already been made.

“Fine,” he muttered, only a tad petulantly, “But only because I want to kick Nick’s arse in training.”

Harry didn’t comment on that but he pulled Louis closer, hiding a smile in the younger boy’s hair. This time, when they drifted off to sleep, no nightmares plagued either of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully this chapter was a good balance between suspense and fluff. 
> 
> Also, for those of you who haven’t read the extra scene I wrote for this fic (it has to do with Harry’s reaction to hearing Dex call Louis ‘Ma’, for the first time!), you can find it on my [Tumblr](http://mysticbelievexx.tumblr.com) under the tag 'Extra Scene'. Your comments, as always, make my day!  
> Until the next update, love to you all <3 xx


	9. IX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You never fail to exceed my wildest expectations with all the kudos and comments this fic gets. You are all lovely human beings! Here's chapter 9 :) xx

Ever since Louis had been six years old, he had watched the pack train. At first, Anne had insisted he stay indoors and so, he’d sat by the kitchen window, eyes fixed on the wolves. He’d wince when Harry fell on his arse and cheer when he managed to swipe someone with his claws.

When he had gotten a bit older (and Anne had realised Harry liked to show off for Louis and seemed to do better when the human boy was present), he was allowed to wander into the backyard and sit under the large oak tree there as the pack trained in front of him.

Today though, Louis was in an unfamiliar position.

“I have to do _what_!?”

“Twist Niall’s arm backwards,” Liam demonstrated on Aidan, “And kick out with your left foot. It’ll get him off balance.”

Aidan went down with a groan, his back hitting the grass. Liam grinned and gave the wolf a hand up before fixing Louis with an expectant look.

“Your turn!”

Louis gulped, glancing at Niall. Sweet, innocent Niall who…okay, so he wasn’t always sweet and was far from innocent but to actually try and fight him was…

“You won’t hurt me,” Niall told him, seeing the hesitation on his face, “And even if you do, it’ll take me about three seconds to heal.”

“I know that,” Louis mumbled because he did.  
That didn’t mean he was any more willing to hurt his Betas.

They were pack, they were _family_ and it just felt wrong to try and fight them, even for practice.

“Alpha,” Liam sighed, scrubbing a hand over his hair, “You won’t be able to learn to defend yourself if you refuse to hurt us.”

“There’s got to be another way,” Louis insisted, stubbornly.

“Lou,” Harry’s voice made him pout.

That was his serious, ‘stop fooling around’ voice. 

“Just give it a go,” Liam encouraged and Louis sighed, shrugging at Niall.

“Okay,” he muttered, crouching down into the defensive position Zayn had shown him earlier, “Give me your best shot, Nialler.”

He couldn’t help but wish he had gone straight home after school and refused to let the Betas talk him into coming with them to the Manor for training. Still, maybe he wouldn’t have gotten away with it since Harry’s first question as the Betas had climbed out of the car was, “Where’s Louis?”

Louis sighed, accepting that there had been no possible way to get out of this. If he hadn’t shown up willingly with the Betas, Harry would have showed up at his house with Dex in tow, wearing a betrayed look on his face until Louis gave in.

“Okay,” Louis muttered under his breath, “Take down a fully grown werewolf. Easy stuff.”

Niall charged at him, eyes focused but playful. 

“First, get him off balance,” Liam coached, encouragingly.

Louis nodded. All he had to do was to grab Niall’s arm as he barrelled forward and go through the motions Liam had been demonstrating for the past twenty minutes.

It was supposed to be easy! A piece of cake but, as Niall got closer, Louis hesitated. He just couldn’t see Niall as the enemy, not even for the purpose of this training exercise.

Which was probably why he went flying when Niall’s hand struck him on the shoulder. 

Luckily, instead of hitting the tree or the ground (both of which would have undoubtedly bruised him), he managed to land on a soft, warm body. Louis blinked down at Harry, who was now lying on on his back, his legs entangled with Louis’.

“Are you alright?” Harry growled, hands roaming over Louis’ body, instinctively checking for injuries.

“Yeah,” Louis chuckled, clambering off the wolf and reaching out a hand to help Harry to his feet, “I’m fine. Good job, Nialler.”

“You could have hurt him!” Harry snapped at the Beta who had shrunk against Jesy’s side in the hopes that the female wolf would protect him from Harry’s wrath.

“I didn’t mean to hit him that hard,” Niall whimpered, “It was an accident!”

Harry’s eyes had started to flash so Louis jumped between him and the blonde.

“You must have known that would happen when you asked me to train with you,” Louis reasoned but, at Harry’s suddenly wide eyes, he realised the Alpha had not, in fact, considered the possibility of Louis actually getting hurt during training sessions.

“I’m human, Hazza,” he pointed out with a shrug, “Scratches and bruises are normal for me.”

This was apparently the wrong thing to say because the next thing Louis knew, he was being dragged away from the training area by a growling Harry. Louis wasn’t going to complain, not when it meant he wouldn’t have to try to fight any more of the Betas.

“Alpha,” a disapproving voice called out.

Harry came to an abrupt halt and Louis saw that Aidan had stepped in front of them, blocking Harry’s way.

“You asked us to train him,” Aidan stated, calmly, “You’ve got to give us the chance to do that.”

Louis glanced up at Harry and saw that he was glowering at the Beta. 

“Get out of the way, Aidan,” Harry’s words were laced with barely-controlled anger, “He’s done with training for today.”

“You think a few bruises are bad?” Aidan ignored Liam’s whine of warning, “What about when the person that slashed his tyres comes for him?”

Harry growled, his hand reaching out to wrap around Louis’ wrist and pulling him closer against the wolf’s side.

“Aidan,” Louis tried to intervene but the Beta seemed determined to make Harry see it his way.

“You can’t hide from the facts. He’s human. Without training, he’s not going to have any chance at holding his own! He could die-”

“No!” Harry’s eyes were flashing now and he let go of Louis just before his claws started to peek out, “Don’t you _dare_ say-”

“The truth?” Aidan snarled back and, out of the corner of his eye, Louis saw that the rest of the pack were walking towards them, ready to intervene if either Aidan or Harry lost control of their anger, “He needs to be prepared! It’s what your mother would have done. If you were anything like her-”

“Aidan!” Louis cut off the wolf with a glare, hand automatically reaching out to grab a now frozen Harry, “That’s quite enough.”

Not being as good an Alpha as Anne had been, was Harry’s greatest insecurity. Aidan, being one of the older Betas, was well aware of this fact. 

“I’m just saying,” Aidan muttered, bowing his head slightly in the face of Louis’ obvious anger, “Every member of the pack should be able to protect themselves. For their own safety.”

Louis blinked. Aidan had a fair point.

“ _I’ll_ protect him!” Harry snapped out, taking a step towards Aidan.

It was only Louis’ grip on his arm that prevented him from shifting and lunging at his insubordinate Beta.

“For how long?” Cara’s voice floated over to them, soft and worried. 

Harry’s gaze swung towards her, still furious but now with a hint of confusion swirling in his eyes.

“What?” he growled out.

“How long can you protect him for?” she asked, throwing Louis an apologetic look, “How long can any of us protect him for? There are going to be times when he’s by himself. No matter how much we try to guard him, we can’t guarantee his safety. Not every minute of every day.”

Niall let out a pained whine, hating conflict of any kind but Jesy, Zayn and Liam bit their lips, refusing to look directly at Harry or Louis. It was clear to Louis that the Betas had been discussing the matter of his safety for a while now.

“We just…don’t want you to get hurt,” Cara murmured to Louis.

Louis saw the way Harry’s body had tensed up and knew the Alpha was seconds away from demanding Cara’s submission for daring to have voiced such a thought. The Beta’s head was already tilted to the side, displaying her neck to both Louis and Harry in an attempt to prevent further anger from them.

Louis stepped in front of Harry before either he or Cara could move.

“She’s right,” he said, forcing Harry’s eyes to meet his, “Without any training, I’m not going to be able to defend myself if I need to. Not to mention, I’ll be a liability in a fight if the pack has to always focus on protecting me.”

Growls of protest rang out around him but Louis’ gaze was focused on Harry, who was towering over him, his eyes flashing. Before Louis could try and figure out what he’d said to upset the wolves, Harry placed a hand on the back of Louis’ neck and drew him closer.

“You will _never_ be a liability,” Harry growled, his other hand moving up to cup Louis’ cheek, “You’re pack. I won’t let you get hurt. None of us will.”

There was a murmur of agreement from the Betas, even Aidan. Harry’s claws had receded and his eyes had stopped flashing as he inhaled Louis’ comforting scent but his body was still tense and on high alert.

“I don’t want to feel helpless, Hazza,” Louis murmured back and he could tell from Harry’s sharp breath that the wolf understood what he meant.

Since the dinner at Jay’s last week, Louis had been having nightmares. He could never remember the contents of them but the feeling of helplessness lingered long after he had woken up, leaving him unsettled and on edge. The only thing that eased the feeling slightly was the feel of Harry’s arms around him as the wolf rocked him back to sleep, reminding him that he was safe.

The worst part was, Louis knew his nightmares were disturbing Dex’s sleep. The toddler woke up each time Louis screamed and refused to go back to sleep until Louis was calm enough to hold him again. If he couldn’t find a way to stop the nightly terrors, Louis knew he would have to tell Harry and Dex to sleep at the Manor without him.

Some of his thoughts must have projected onto his face because Harry made a pained whine and suddenly, he was being pulled into a hug. Louis let himself relax into it, his hands moving of their own accord to clutch Harry closer. 

“Everything’s going to be okay,” Harry murmured in his ear, low enough that none of the other wolves could overhear.

Louis nodded against the older boy’s shoulder before taking a deep breath and stepping back.

“I could draw up a different schedule for you, Alpha,” Liam offered, giving Louis an eager look, “Start you off with mannequins and work up to sparring?”

Louis sighed. Hand to hand combat was really not his forte but he knew he had no choice. He needed to be confident with defending himself and this seemed to be the only way.

Before he could nod in agreement though, Harry spoke.

“No. I’ll train him.”

Louis wasn’t the only one who gave him an incredulous look.

“Alpha,” Liam finally cleared his throat to say, “You’re a lot stronger than the rest of us.”

“You nearly broke my arm last week,” Aidan reminded him, “If something similar happened with-”

“I’d _never_ hurt Louis,” Harry cut across the Betas’ worries with a growl of warning but his eyes sought out Louis’, as if asking for reassurance.

“Of course you won’t!” Louis replied, automatically, giving Harry a smile.

He still remembered the first time he had seen Harry shift into his wolf form for the full moon run. Everyone in the pack, including Anne, had been worried Harry would lose control and hurt Louis but even as young as he was, Harry’s wolf had known not to attack the human boy.

Even now, with Harry having a memory block and displaying feral characteristics at random times, Louis had complete confidence that Harry would not hurt him. 

The Betas still looked unconvinced but before they could protest any further, Dex’s scream rang out across the yard.

“Ma! Dada!” 

Louis whirled around to face the house and saw Dex’s small form. His heart raced, the memory of slashed tyres still fresh in his mind. Harry’s thoughts must have been running along the same lines, for he let out a worried growl as he moved towards the toddler, who was tearing through the backyard as if monsters were after him.

As Louis got closer however, he realised that Dex’s flushed cheeks and twinkling eyes weren’t a sign of fear. They were…

“He’s laughing!” Louis said out loud and Harry stopped in his tracks, his own eyes assessing Dex.

“Dada!” Dex giggled as he came to a stop in front of them, raising his arms, not realising that he had nearly given both Louis and Harry a heart attack.

Harry scooped him up and his voice came out as a gruff growl when he asked, “Who are you running from?”

Louis glanced over at the house to see Perrie and Nick, the assigned babysitters of the day, run out with identical, panicked looks on their faces. 

“Alphas,” Perrie hurried to explain, “I swear I only left the room for a second! I told him to not run!”

“I was in the loo,” Nick hurried to add when Harry’s glare fell on him.

“No harm done,” Louis managed to say, despite his racing heart, “Dex is fine.”

As if to confirm the statement, Harry sniffed at Dex’s neck and wrists, trying to find any scent of blood or injury. Dex giggled happily, placing a palm on Harry’s cheek and patting it lightly.

“Dada,” he murmured, fondly and Harry let out a sigh of relief.

Louis watched the way Harry’s posture went from dominant and predatory to relaxed. 

The Alpha muttered a soft, “Don’t scare me like that”, as he pressed a kiss to Dex’s cheek, the same way Anne had used to do to Louis and Harry after they had taken part in something dangerous or foolhardy. It was a werewolf’s way of calming their inner wolves and strengthening pack bonds.

Louis assumed Harry would hold onto Dex for the next few hours, until his wolf was satisfied of his cub’s safety. The Betas were already backing away with their heads slightly bowed, giving Harry and Dex space but, when Louis moved to do the same, Harry’s hand shot out to keep him in place.

He blinked in confusion when Harry held out the toddler to him. Louis gulped when he saw Harry’s eyes had that same distant, feral expression he had worn during his visit to the Corden pack.

“Yours,” Harry’s voice was a soft growl, as if Louis were missing something obvious.

“Um…?” 

Louis glanced at the Betas, confused. His eyebrows shot up when he understood what Perrie was trying to silently tell him. ‘Hold him’, she mouthed, pointing at Dex.

“Uh…r..right,” Louis cleared his throat and reached for the toddler. 

Dex settled against his hip in a way that, by now, felt natural to Louis. The child gave him a dimpled grin and patted Louis’ cheek, the same way he had done with Harry. 

Despite his confusion, Louis couldn’t help but give him a fond smile. His hand reached out to tuck the boy’s curly hair behind his ears, scratching his fingers over the child’s scalp when Dex leant into the touch, wanting more.

“The Styles’ kryptonite,” Louis chuckled, leaning down to press a soft kiss to the top of Dex’s head when the toddler cuddled closer to him. 

Harry huffed out a breath, his wolf apparently satisfied by something in Louis’ gesture, for his eyes turned back to their normal shade of green.

“Hazza?” Louis asked, softly, wanting to make sure Harry was alright, “You back with us?”

Harry nodded, a tinge of pink creeping into his cheeks.

“I can babysit him for a while,” Nick volunteered but, before Louis could pass Dex over, Harry let out a soft growl.

“Hazza?” Louis blinked up at him, confused.

The Alpha looked…conflicted. 

“I can’t…it’s…the scents,” Harry cleared his throat, “Just…please keep him with you until we’re done with training?”

Louis wasn’t entirely certain why Harry wanted him to hold onto Dex but he didn’t question it, understanding without Harry having to tell him that it had something to do with his wolf.

“Sure,” Louis nodded, giving Harry a smile, “I can do that.”

Harry smiled back, one of his hands reaching out to squeeze Louis’ shoulder, gratefully. Then, he turned away and walked back to the training area. 

The rest of the pack followed suit, pairing up as they got back into the swing of training. 

It was only during training sessions such as these that Louis was able to witness the full extent of the werewolves’ powers. It was almost magical to watch the way they fought, avoiding outstretched claws and swiping back in an elegant dance Louis could never hope to learn.

Harry especially, now possessed a grace he had always lacked as a cub. A part of it, Louis knew, came with the command and power of the Alpha but there was something more to it.

Harry fought differently to how he had used to fight before he went to London. He no longer went straight to attacking as he had used to. Now, he fought in a way that was similar to how Anne had used to fight- by taking the time to assess his opponents before striking fast and hard, aiming to injure them with the least amount of attacks.

A memory entered Louis’ mind, unbidden. He had been thirteen and Anne had been preceding over a training session.

“Experience,” she had told the pack, “Is something that cannot be taught. Regular training will help you become a good fighter. Experience is the only thing that can make you a great one.”

Louis watched Harry now, as he easily avoided Nick’s claws and swiped at his knee to weaken him. Sometime during the last two years, Harry had acquired the experience Anne had told them about.

He wondered who Harry had fought, whether it had been someone from Taylor’s pack. Or was it the threat he had mentioned all those weeks ago, the reason he had been on the run and hiding out in the forest without being able to return to the Styles pack’s territory.

Louis’ attention was drawn away from his musings by Dex, who whined and mumbled, “Yum?”

“Hungry again already?” Louis smiled at the child.

“Coco!” Dex clarified and Louis grinned.

Dex still loved bananas but his list of favourite foods had extended somewhat over the last three weeks. Now, along with a wide variety of fruits, Dex begged for mac and cheese, spaghetti, bacon and, ever since he had seen Louis eating it, Coco Pops.

“Your dad’s gonna kill me for feeding you so much junk food,” Louis told the toddler, who just gave him a dimpled grin and nuzzled against his throat, scenting him.

Louis turned to head towards the house, intending to fix up a bowl of Coco Pops for Dex. He paused in his steps when he saw Aidan staring at him, a look of dawning realisation on the werewolf’s face.

“I can’t believe I didn’t fucking realise,” Aidan stated and Louis’ shout of, “Oi! Watch the language!” was lost amongst the sudden growls that filled the air.

Louis turned around to see that the rest of the pack had stopped their training exercises and were giving Aidan looks of warning, eyes flashing. 

“What?” Louis asked, more lost than ever, “What did he do?”

“Nothing,” Harry answered at once but he continued to glare at Aidan, whose eyes widened even more.

“Wait…you’re kidding, right?” Aidan sounded as if he were going to burst into laughter at any second, “You don’t mean to tell me that you haven’t _told_ h-”

“Let’s have a _chat_ , Aidan,” Harry said through gritted teeth before he stalked away, towards the bordering forest.

Even Louis could detect the tone of command that rang through the air, so it was no surprise when Aidan whined and immediately trailed after the Alpha. 

“Idiot,” Zayn muttered under his breath.

“I thought he was at the meeting,” Liam said, staring at the other wolves with confusion.

“Nah. He was ordering the pizzas when it came up-”

“Someone explain to me what’s going on,” Louis cut across, tightening his hold on Dex when the boy began to squirm, “What meeting?”

“We had a pack meeting last week while you were at your Mum’s,” Perrie answered, shooting a meaningful glance at Liam, who bit his lip and nodded along. “To discuss what we were going to do for Dex’s birthday.”

“It’s next week,” Nick added, as if Louis hadn’t memorised the date the moment Harry had told him.

“Why wasn’t I invited to this meeting?” Louis asked, a lace of hurt spiking the words, despite his best attempts to hide it. 

It’s not as if he had been doing anything important at his Mum’s. He’d just gone back to have a quick nap.

Every Betas’ eyes widened in shock and Perrie looked as if she wanted to slap herself in the face.

“We didn’t want to disturb your nap,” Niall suddenly blurted out, “Especially since you haven’t been getting much sleep at night.”

Louis frowned.

“Harry told you about the nightmares?” he asked.

“No,” Niall shook his head, “We heard you.”

Louis’ frown deepened.

“How?” he asked, a sudden thought striking him, “Have you lot been _guarding_ my house every night since the tyre incident?”

Niall scratched the back of his neck, guiltily and none of the other Betas would meet Louis’ eye.

“Well,” Zayn cleared his throat, “Not guarding so much as…um, checking in? Liam just changed our night patrol route to include your house.”

Louis blinked at them, feeling oddly touched at the thought that Liam had changed the route and that the other Betas hadn’t protested against it.

“So what did you decide on then?”

All the wolves gave him matching, confused looks.

“At the meeting,” Louis clarified, “What did you decide to do for Dex’s birthday?”

“Oh! Um…a party. Outdoors?” Liam sounded anything but confident, which immediately had Louis suspicious again.

He narrowed his eyes.

“You’re telling me that Harry agreed to have an outdoor party for his son’s birthday, despite there being a rogue Alpha on the loose somewhere?” 

Harry was overprotective on the best of days. This didn’t sound like something he’d agree to.

“It’s actually more of a barbecue in the backyard,” Perrie stated, shooting Liam a glare, “And it’s just going to be pack members. Nick’s organising it!”

Nick’s eyes widened as if he hadn’t been aware of this minor detail.

Before Louis could question the story any further, Dex gnawed at his shoulder, mumbling, “Yum?”

“Sorry, love” Louis said, his focus immediately falling to the toddler in his arms, “Let’s get you some food then.”

As Louis carried Dex into the house to find a snack, he didn’t notice the relieved looks the Betas exchanged behind his back.

He also didn’t catch Nick’s resigned whisper of, “I guess we’re having a party then.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

_“Happy birthday, LouBear,” a voice whispered in his ear, a warm body settling over him._

_Louis opened his eyes, his lips already curled up into a smile that only grew when he saw it was Harry. The Alpha’s green eyes roamed over Louis’ face, his own lips lifting into a fond smile._

_“Don’t call me LouBear, Harold,” Louis muttered back but his voice was still raspy with sleep and came out sounding anything but threatening._

_Harry chuckled, moving his hand up to brush Louis’ fringe out of his eyes._

_“Mm. I wanted to be the first to wish you a happy 17th birthday,” he said with a grin, “Did I succeed?”_

_“If waking me up at the arse crack of dawn is your idea of a ‘happy’ birthday then yes. You succeeded. Well done,” Louis muttered back, trying to roll Harry off him._

_The wolf’s grin only grew as he reached up and trapped Louis’ hands under his, effectively immobilising him._

_“So grumpy in the morning, LouBear. What do you want for your 17th birthday?” Harry asked, leaning down to nuzzle against Louis’ sleep-warm neck._

_“If I tell you, you have to promise to get it for me,” Louis answered._

_The werewolf frowned, studying Louis’ face as if it would give him some sort of clue. He let go of Louis’ hands, only to place his on either side of the younger boy’s head, studying him with narrowed eyes._

_“Is it something impossible again? Like that time you asked me to get you the moon?”_

_“I was **six**!” Louis huffed out, giving Harry a weak slap on the chest, “Blame Cara! She was the one who lied to me and said werewolves could fly. So, no. I’m not going to ask for the fucking moon again.”_

_“Is it something dangerous?” Harry asked, eyes still wary despite the hint of amusement around the corners of his lips._

_Louis gave him his most innocent smile._

_“Nope. Perfectly safe. People do it all the time.”_

_Harry opened his mouth to ask further questions but Louis reached up and threaded a hand through the older boy’s curls, lightly scratching at the Alpha’s scalp. Harry’s eyes fluttered shut in response, a purr-like sound emerging from his throat._

_Louis always loved to see the effect this simple action had on Harry and he almost forgot the gift he’d wanted to ask for._

_“A fake ID,” Louis murmured, pouting when Harry pulled away from his touch to give him a glare._

_“No way,” the wolf stated, flatly._

_“Come on!” Louis protested, reaching up to tug Harry closer, “I promise to be responsible. Pinky promise.”_

_He held out the pinky of one hand, giving Harry a cheeky smile._

_“This isn’t convincing me of your maturity any,” Harry sighed but he gave in to Louis’ demanding pulls and settled against him with his head resting on the younger boy’s shoulder, linking their fingers together in a pinkie promise._

_“Your mum would kill me if she found out,” Harry mumbled, his breath fanning out over the sensitive skin of Louis’ neck._

_Louis couldn’t quite suppress the shiver that ran through him at the sensation but he covered it up by talking._

_“She won’t find out! Please, Hazza? I want to go to that new club in town. Nick’s been gloating about how I’m too young to get in!”_

_“You **are** too young to get in,” Harry pointed out but he shut up when Louis resumed playing with his hair._

_“You can come with me,” Louis negotiated, “Keep me out of trouble.”_

_Harry hummed, noncommittally._

_“Or I could just flirt my way in,” Louis mumbled under his breath._

_He wasn’t too surprised to feel Harry’s arms tighten around him._

_“No fucking way, Lou,” Harry growled, “There’s no way I’m letting you go alone.”_

_“Overprotective,” Louis huffed out but he grinned when Harry started rubbing his cheek against his jaw, scenting him thoroughly._

_He knew he had won the argument when Harry muttered, “You have to promise to stay with the pack and you don’t get to try any alcohol.”_

_“Deal,” Louis grinned, hiding his smile against the wolf’s hair, “Thanks, Hazza.”_

_Harry merely growled in reply and continued to scent-mark the human._

_Lying in bed with his best friend curled around him, Louis never suspected that this would turn out to be his worst birthday ever; one he would regret for a long time to come.  
_

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Manor’s backyard had been transformed for Dex’s birthday party. There were streamers strung up on tree branches and balloons littered over the grass. Nick and Jesy had artfully arranged the growing pile of presents onto a plastic picnic table and the delightful smell of grilled meat permeated the air.

Aidan, Liam and Niall had volunteered to man the barbecue (although it was debatable how much actual cooking Niall was taking part in!) while the rest of the pack helped Dex to unwrap his presents.

Louis couldn’t stop himself from smiling as he watched the look of delight that entered Dex’s face each time the colourful wrapping paper was torn away to reveal something new. By now, he had amassed quite the treasure trove of toys and sweets!

Watching the festivities, it was easy to forget about the slashed tyres and nightmares, about a potential threat on the outskirts of their territory. And yet, it was seeing the look of pure happiness on Dex’s face that reminded Louis of the very real danger the pack, as a whole, could be facing.

Perrie was busy putting the final touches on the birthday cake when Louis walked over to her. 

“This probably isn’t the best time,” he began, lowering his voice to a whisper to ensure none of the other wolves overheard, “But have you or Zayn gotten a chance to look at those photos I sent you a couple of weeks ago?”

“Of the murdered werewolves?” Perrie asked, keeping her voice just as quiet. 

Louis nodded. He had been so caught up with everything else that he had forgotten to ask his Betas about it.

“We briefly looked over them. Neither of us have figured out a pattern to the murders yet but we’ll keep looking. It might help if we actually went into the Montgomery territory and had a look around.”

“No,” Louis vetoed the idea at once, “Alpha Montgomery says the threat’s left their territory but I’m still not going to risk your lives by sending you there.”

“I’ll have a closer look at that book on werewolf predators in the Manor library then,” Perrie answered.

She hesitated before asking her next question.

“Also, I…I’m not trying to question your authority but…well, it’s difficult to conduct research at the Manor library when the Alpha isn’t aware of the…situation.”

Louis sighed. He had known he would have to eventually tell Harry. He just hadn’t wanted to put any more unnecessary stress on him.

“I’ll tell him,” Louis answered, “Just…not right now. He doesn’t need to be worrying about this too. Not when there’s no immediate threat.”

“If that’s what you think is best,” Perrie nodded, “I’ll have another look at the pictures today, after the party.”

“Thanks, Perrie,” Louis smiled and let the subject drop, turning to look at the cake.

“It’s finally done!” she told him with a proud smile on her face.

Louis walked closer to see that the cake had been beautifully frosted with a thick layer of cream. On it, written in chocolate, were the words, ‘Happy Birthday Dex!’ It was decorated with two candles that had yet to be lit.

“It looks gorgeous,” Louis murmured, giving Perrie an affectionate hug, “Great job!”

“Thanks, Alpha,” Perrie grinned back, pleased that her efforts had been acknowledged.

At Louis’ nod, Harry carried Dex over, sitting the toddler down in front of the cake.

“Alright, Dex,” Harry told the boy, whose gaze was focused entirely on the sweet treat in front of him, “You have to blow the candles out while we sing happy birthday to you.”

That seemed to be the signal for the Betas to launch into a rather enthusiastic performance of the song. Dex clapped his hands and tried to blow out the candles, huffing in frustration when they stayed lit. Everyone was too busy laughing to notice the way Dex’s eyes flashed blue as he glared at the stubborn flames. 

Zayn though, had always been the most observant member of the pack. He was the only one who spotted the flash of blue in Dex’s eyes as the candles went out without Dex having blown on them at all. When he looked back at Dex, the child was wearing a look of smug satisfaction, his hand held out towards the cake, palm up.

“Good job, love,” Louis praised the boy, clearly not having noticed the odd occurrence.

Harry too, was smiling at the toddler, scenting his cheek with a kiss. Nick started to cut the cake and plate it up.

Zayn bit his lip, casting a look around at the rest of the pack. After the way Harry and Louis had reacted the last time Dex had been accused of being a mage, Zayn knew he couldn’t say a word to anyone in the pack until he had figured out what was going on.

And there was definitely something going on. He had learnt early on to trust his instincts and he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something odd about Dex. Something obvious that the rest of the pack and his Alphas were missing. 

Dex was being passed around now, being scented by the other Betas. No one but Liam noticed when Zayn snuck back into the Manor, heading towards the library. 

Liam frowned as he watched his mate head inside. Perhaps Zayn just needed some time to himself? But there was something about the set of the black-haired wolf’s shoulders that had Liam following him.

Zayn sighed when he heard Liam’s footsteps behind him. It had been stupid to think he could hide something from him. Still, he didn’t say a word until they were both inside the Manor’s library. Then, he shut the door behind him and faced Liam with a serious look in his eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Liam asked at once, body subconsciously preparing to defend them both.

“If I tell you,” Zayn swallowed, knowing he was about to ask his mate to do something that went against his very biology, “You have to promise not to tell anyone else. Not even the Alphas.”

Liam’s eyes widened.

“You want me to lie to the Alphas?”

“Not lie. Just…omit to mention.”

Liam looked away from him for a minute before finally nodding.

“Alright,” the Beta took a deep breath, “Okay, Zayn. I promise. What is it?”

“Dex,” Zayn stated, glancing at the door even though he knew everyone else was outside and couldn’t hear the conversation, “He can flash his eyes. The same way we can.”

Liam made a noise that sounded like a confused whine.

“That’s not..he can’t…Zayn, Dex is human. He doesn’t smell like a werewolf and he didn’t turn on the last full moon. If he were a wolf cub, he couldn’t hide the shift, even if he wanted to.”

“I know,” Zayn answered, running a hand through his hair, “It doesn’t make sense to me either but there’s _something_ about him, Liam. I can’t…I don’t know what it is but my instincts are screaming at me to figure it out and you always tell me to-”

“Trust your instincts,” Liam finished for him.

The wolf looked just as conflicted as Zayn did. Zayn narrowed his eyes as he studied Liam.

“You feel it too,” he stated, hit with the sudden realisation. 

Liam hesitated but eventually, nodded.

“He’s just a kid,” the wolf replied, “But there’s something about him that makes me want to…do whatever he wants. It could just be his cuteness but-”

“It’s deeper,” Zayn said the words Liam had been thinking, “Your wolf wants to obey him, the same way you obey the Alphas.”

“Yeah,” Liam confessed with an embarrassed shrug, “I think it’s because he smells like them. Any ideas why that is?”

“Maybe,” Zayn mumbled, quietly, knowing Liam could still hear him, “I have a couple of theories but I need to do some research. Keep this between us until I find something.”

Liam took a deep breath and nodded, holding out a hand, which Zayn took at once. Zayn let the wolf pull him closer and rested his head against Liam’s shoulder.

“Do the research,” Liam whispered, his arm tightening around him, “But be careful, Z. Whatever your instincts may be telling you, Dex is still the Alpha’s kid. He smells like pack. No matter what you find, don’t try to hurt or threaten him.”

“Or the Alpha will kill me?” Zayn guessed, not entirely joking.

“They both will,” Liam answered, seriously.

Zayn took a deep breath and pulled back to give Liam a smile. 

“I’ll be careful,” he promised, crossing his fingers behind his back.

Liam studied him for a second before returning the smile. Zayn knew he had believed him when Liam moved forward to brush a tender kiss across Zayn’s lips.

“Good,” Liam murmured against his mouth, “Because I need you to be alive for our Bonding. It’s only seven weeks away.”

The thought of finally being bonded to his mate had Zayn’s wolf purring happily.

“Can’t wait,” he replied, wrapping his arms around Liam’s neck and tilting his head to the side slightly.

He wasn’t disappointed by his mate’s reaction. Liam let out a soft growl, his hands falling to Zayn’s hips. 

“I need to get back to the party,” Liam mumbled but he still reeled Zayn in closer so he could press a hard kiss to his lips.

Zayn chuckled quietly, letting his hand tangle in Liam’s hair and using it as leverage to pull the Beta into another, deeper kiss.

“Z,” Liam groaned out as Zayn peppered kisses across the wolf’s jaw.

“Fine,” Zayn sighed, giving Liam one last kiss before pulling away.

He smirked when he heard Liam let out a whine. 

“Don’t you have a party to get back to?” Zayn winked at him before slipping away, down an aisle of books.

“Tease,” Liam replied but it came out as more of a longing sigh.

Zayn smiled to himself as he heard Liam leave the library. He hadn’t been _entirely_ lying when he told Liam he would be careful.

He would…unless he had no choice. Because Zayn was determined to get to the bottom of the mystery that was Declan Styles. By any means necessary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have more questions than answers at this stage, then I'm on the right track with this fic. Everything will make sense eventually, I promise. 
> 
> Comments make me happy so please leave one if you have the time! Until the next update, love to you all <3 xx


	10. X

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos and lovely comments! I was nervous about posting this chapter but I received so many supportive and encouraging messages! So, this is for all of you lovely people that cheered me up when I was feeling less than confident.  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter! <3 xx

Louis was tired.

“Alpha!” Jesy’s hissed words had Louis waking up with a start.

“Wha..what’s happening?” he groggily mumbled, blinking when he realised he was still in Maths class.

“You fell asleep,” Niall whispered to him.

“Again,” Jesy added, pointedly.

“Maybe you should go and see a doctor,” Niall said, giving Louis a concerned look.

“I don’t need a doctor,” Louis answered at once.

Sure, he was a bit more tired than usual and surprisingly, it wasn’t because of the nightmares keeping him up. In fact, the nightmares had disappeared shortly after his first training session with Harry. 

Louis’ mind drifted back to that training session, a smile lifting up the corners of his lips as he remembered it.

 

_  
It wasn’t exactly the way Louis had pictured his Saturday turning out but here he was, decked out in a weird assortment of protective equipment that the Betas had dug out of the basement._

_“Do I have to wear the shin pads?” Louis grumbled, staring down at the fluorescent pink material._

_He hadn’t known shin pads came in such…vibrant colours. Or that they sparkled._

_“Yep,” Perrie gave him a shit-eating grin, “It suits the bike helmet.”_

_Louis grimaced at the reminder of the My Little Pony helmet Niall had tossed onto his head. It’s not that Louis had anything against My Little Pony, he just couldn’t believe they had given him a **child-sized** helmet! The fact that it fit him better than the adult-sized one was beside the point! _

_“I still don’t see why I have to wear all this!” Louis glared at the snickering Betas._

_Liam was the only one not chuckling but that was because he was attempting to convince Louis to wear yet another pair of safety gloves._

_“What’s going on?” Harry’s voice rang across the backyard and, to Louis’ immense satisfaction, it made the Betas shut up._

_Harry marched into the yard, Dex in his arms. He raised an eyebrow as he saw the sheer amount of safety gear Louis had donned._

_“They **forced** me to!” Louis protested, shooting another glare at the smirking Betas._

_Harry’s gaze followed his, falling on the Betas. Liam immediately shot forward with an explanation._

_“We thought it would be better to be safe than sorry.”_

_“I’m not going to hurt him,” Harry stated, calmly. Too calmly._

_Louis didn’t bother hiding his smirk when he saw the rest of the pack take a measured step back, leaving poor Liam to bear the brunt of Harry’s anger._

_“Of course not, Alpha,” Liam stammered out, shooting a betrayed glance at his fellow pack members, “It’s…we just thought-”_

_“He won’t need it,” Harry cut across Liam’s excuse and Louis let himself smile, delighted._

_The smile fell off his face half a second later when Harry added, “At least, not for today’s session. Save it for the defensive lessons.”_

_Louis gave Harry a betrayed look but Liam nodded seriously._

_Louis was about to protest that he would never need this stuff because, despite being human, he wasn’t made of glass but Dex chose that moment to hold out his arms, a dimpled smile on his face._

_“Ma!” he squealed, making grabby hands towards Louis or, more specifically, Louis’ helmet._

_“You want it?” Louis grinned at the excited boy and took off his helmet, placing it on the child’s head, “Suits you, love.”_

_Dex let out a delighted giggle, playing with the straps of the helmet._

_“So,” Louis casually probed as Harry handed Dex off to Nick, “What are we starting with?”_

_“Your offensive skills,” Harry told him, a smirk entering his face at Louis’ look of disbelief, “Let’s see what you’ve got, Alpha Tomlinson.”_

_Louis narrowed his eyes as he shed the safety gear._

_“You know this is rigged, right?” he told the werewolves but Harry’s smirk just got wider and the Betas were settling down on the grass, clearly prepared to watch Louis’ humiliation._

_“I’ll go easy on you,” Harry stated, a sparkle in his eyes._

_Louis narrowed his eyes at him. He was nothing if not competitive, a fact that Harry knew full well._

_“You’re going down, Styles!” Louis shot back._

_Harry grinned and started teaching him the easiest offensive moves._

_In all honesty, Louis had expected it to turn out as horrendous as his training session with Liam but, to everyone’s astonishment, he learnt quickly. The techniques that had seemed terrifying and complicated when Liam demonstrated them, came to him easily when he was following Harry’s lead._

_“Let’s try sparring,” Harry eventually stated, straightening up and taking a few steps back, “I’m going to try and get past you and your aim is to stop me. Got it?”_

_“Sure. I’ll give it a go,” Louis answered, brushing his fringe out of his eyes._

_Despite himself, Louis found himself enjoying it. It wasn’t that he was any less reluctant about hurting Harry than he had been with the Betas but some innate part of him knew that he would never be able to hurt the Alpha. And, for some reason, it was almost like he could predict the moves Harry would make._

_No matter how many times Harry tried to dodge him, Louis’ body zeroed in on the location Harry was going to move to and cut the Alpha off before he could get there._

_“Fucking hell,” Zayn commented softly from the sidelines, “How’s he doing that?”_

_Liam let out a half-confused, half-awestruck noise, eyes never leaving Louis and Harry’s sparring forms._

_Even Harry seemed thrown by how fast Louis was picking up on the moves. It was about forty minutes into the session that Louis felt it. He had been getting steadily frustrated at the fact that he couldn’t throw Harry off balance. He reached out, trying to grab Harry’s arm as the Alpha tried to rush past when suddenly, a jolt of sensation rushed through his palm. It left his skin tingling._

_Harry let out a confused growl as his knees buckled, knocking him off balance. Louis blinked down at him before glancing at the Betas, baffled._

_“Pin him!” Niall and Cara shouted, matching grins on their faces._

_Since Harry was already on the ground, it wasn’t difficult to climb on top of him and grab his wrists. From the corner of his eye, Louis noted that Cara and Niall were collecting money from the other, grumbling Betas._

_“Can you believe they **bet** on us?!” Louis hissed, glancing down at Harry._

_He lost his trail of thought when he noticed the wolf was staring up at him, green eyes wide with…respect._

_“You’re so fucking amazing, Lou,” Harry said, quietly enough for only Louis to hear._

_“Hazza,” Louis whispered back, “I’m not sure how I did that. Did you feel a weird-”_

_The clamour of the Betas’ voices cut across his words._

_“Were you going easy on him?” Nick’s voice was the first to reach them._

_His eyes locked suspiciously on the pair. Louis opened his mouth to explain what he had felt…that strange sensation in his palms which had disappeared the moment Harry had dropped to the ground, but Harry beat him to it._

_“No,” Harry panted out from where he lay on the ground, Louis crouched over him, “I just didn’t expect that last manoeuvre. That was…it was good.”_

_“Um,” Louis blinked down at him, unsure._

_Harry had obviously not felt it. Maybe it had just been the adrenaline coursing through his own body._

_“T..thanks,” Louis replied._

_He frowned to himself. He was planning on getting off Harry, of course. It would be odd to just keep him pinned to the ground like this but…well. His body didn’t seem to be all that inclined to move right now. His panic must have been clear on his face for Harry made a soft growl underneath him, drawing his gaze back to the werewolf._

_“It’s okay, Lou” Harry’s low voice kept his attention, “It’s just your Alpha instincts. I didn’t realise they would be this…strong.”_

_Louis made a confused sound. He wasn’t a werewolf so why would he have any Alpha instincts?_

_“That doesn’t make any sense,” Louis frowned at him._

_Harry gave him a conflicted look and Louis watched as the look morphed into one of decisiveness._

_“It does make sense,” Harry told him, quietly, “It took me a long time to understand it too.”_

_Louis frowned down at him._

_“If you’ve already figured it out, why don’t you just tell me?”_

_Harry gave him an apologetic look._

_“I can’t,” he told him, softly, “It wouldn’t be fair to you.”_

_Harry reached up a hand and pushed Louis’ fringe off his sweaty forehead._

_“You’re utterly unhelpful,” Louis muttered to the wolf._

_He tried to will his body to move but it was almost like a force was keeping him there, not letting him roll off of Harry._

_“I know,” Harry answered but he wore a smirk now, a mischievous sparkle in his eyes, “But at least I can help you with **this** part.”_

_Before Louis could question him any further, Harry tilted his head to the side with deliberate slowness. It was a sign of submission and yet, from the way Harry held his body, some part of Louis could tell Harry wasn’t seriously submitting to him. It seemed more like he was…humouring him. Playfully challenging him._

_Louis felt something inside him shift and, without meaning to, his grip on Harry tightened. It was this same, deep-seated instinct that made Louis lean down and press his mouth over the pulse point of Harry’s exposed neck._

_When Louis had been a child, he had used to give Harry playful love bites all the time but there was something different in the gesture now. A rush of primal satisfaction rushed through him as his teeth grazed the warm skin and Harry let out a quiet whine, too low for the Betas to pick up on. As if that had been the signal his body was waiting for, Louis suddenly felt the force keeping him glued to Harry, ease up._

_He meant to move but his mouth decided of its own accord to teasingly murmur, “I’m disappointed, Styles. I expected a bit more of a challenge from you.”_

_Harry let out a soft growl in response. Louis didn’t even get the chance to try to lift himself off before Harry flipped them over, easily reversing their positions._

_“Uh…we should get started on dinner,” someone, Louis thought it might have been Zayn, muttered in the background._

_Louis barely paid attention, his entire focus on Harry. Harry’s arms were caging him in and Louis noticed that his eyes had that distant look in them again. His wolf side was in control, asserting dominance, demanding submission._

_Louis rolled his eyes but he stayed pliant when Harry leant down and scented him thoroughly, letting out possessive growls whenever Louis tried to shift._

_By the time Harry was satisfied, the Betas had taken Dex and wandered into the Manor to get started on dinner. A small part of Louis was glad for the privacy they had given them and yet, another part wanted them to see; wanted them to witness the way their Alpha was scenting him and…_

_Louis cut off that thought with a deep breath. What the hell was wrong with him today? His crush on Harry was clearly getting out of hand! Of course, it didn’t help that the wolf was nuzzling against the crook of his neck now, shuddering against Louis as he breathed in the familiar scent, grounding himself._

_Harry finally pulled back to stare at Louis, who watched as the hazy look faded from the werewolf’s eyes._

_“You okay?” Louis asked, softly, reaching up to gently tug on one of Harry’s curls._

_“Yeah,” Harry croaked out, hastily rolling off of Louis, “I’m fine. W..we should go in and…check on dinner.”_

_“You should have more faith in your pack,” Louis joked but Harry was already walking towards the Manor, his steps hurried._

_Louis frowned. He could tell something was bothering Harry. And what the hell had he meant when he said it wouldn't be fair to Louis if he told him? What wouldn't be?_

_He tried to puzzle it out in his head later that night but, the moment Harry and Dex slipped into his bed and curled themselves around him, Louis fell into an exhausted sleep.  
_

 

Unfortunately, despite him getting a good night’s sleep after their first training session, that was also when the tiredness had begun.

Louis constantly felt drained of energy now, as if he had run a marathon without realising it. At first, he had only felt the decrease in energy levels at random points throughout the day. Recently though, he had noticed that he always felt more tired whenever he was away from the Manor. 

It had gotten bad enough that he had taken to drinking a cup of coffee every morning instead of his preferred tea, with the hopes of gaining an extra kick from the caffeine. So far, it didn’t appear to be working too well.

“If you don’t go to see a doctor, we’re telling the Alpha,” Jesy stated, drawing him out of his thoughts.

“I _am_ the Alpha,” Louis huffed back.

“The _other_ Alpha,” Jesy’s expression told him that she knew she had won the argument.

Harry had yet to find out about the bouts of tiredness Louis had been experiencing. Louis was grateful to the Betas for not going behind his back and telling the Alpha about it. Still, he knew that the longer his tiredness persisted, the harder it would be to keep it from Harry.

“Fine,” Louis relented, rolling his eyes as he saw Niall and Jesy exchange a relieved glance with each other, “You lot worry too much.”

“We’re your Betas,” Jesy shrugged, “It’s our job to worry.”

If they hadn’t been in a crowded class, Louis would have scratched her behind the ears for that. As it was, he settled for giving her hand a warm squeeze.

He felt a short prickle of sensation on his palm and he pulled it away, staring at Jesy who seemed not to have noticed anything amiss. It reminded him of the first training session and what he had felt when he touched Harry. This time though, the sensation hadn’t been as strong.

He glanced at Jesy again but she was writing down notes, clearly unbothered. Louis shrugged it off, figuring it was nothing to worry about. It was probably just his imagination. He _was_ tired after all.

At least this time, he managed to stay awake for the rest of the lesson.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“When I said ‘doctor’, I meant a human one,” Jesy huffed out as she drove the car towards the Manor.

Louis hummed as he finished composing his text to Alpha Corden.

“He’s got a medical degree and we trusted him to diagnose Harry. That’s good enough for me,” Louis stated.

“Better than nothing, I suppose,” Niall said from the backseat.

Alpha Corden replied within a few minutes, his message short and not entirely helpful.

_**‘It sounds like normal fatigue to me’**_ he had written, _**‘Make sure to get a solid eight hours of sleep every night and don’t overexert yourself’**_

“See?” Louis crowed to Jesy and Niall, flashing the phone screen at them, “Nothing to worry about!”

Jesy looked as if she were unconvinced but thankfully, they pulled into the Manor’s drive at that moment. Louis was out of the car before she could protest any further. 

His lack of energy was nothing to be concerned about. In fact, the moment he stepped through the door of the Manor, he felt his tiredness slip away. 

Dex met him at the door, holding up his arms with a delighted exclamation of, “Ma!”

“Hey love,” he chuckled, lifting the boy into his arms, “Have you grown taller since I saw you this morning?”

Dex giggled, mumbling, “Silly, Ma.”

Louis narrowed his eyes.

“I will never forgive Nick for teaching you that phrase,” he stated.

Dex just gave him a consoling pat on the cheek before cuddling closer to him.

“Lou,” Harry’s soft growl made him turn towards the living room.

Harry had stood up from the sofa and was walking towards him and Dex, eyes flashing gold. Louis obliged the wolf’s unspoken request and tilted his head to the side, knowing Harry could smell other people on him and wanted to cover him with the scent of pack.

He sighed when Harry brushed a hand over the nape of his neck and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, removing the scents of school that he had carried around the whole day. There was something comforting about knowing he had Harry’s scent blanketing him because Louis had always associated it with home and safety.

Harry turned to Jesy and Niall next, pulling each of them into a quick hug. Once he was satisfied all the new arrivals smelt like pack, he turned back to Louis, a smile on his face.

“Aidan made chocolate cake,” he stated, wrapping an arm around Louis’ shoulders and leading him towards the kitchen, “He tried it first so it’s definitely not poisonous. I saved you a piece.”

A pitiful whine made Harry roll his eyes.

“I saved you one too, Niall,” he called back to the blonde, whose whine immediately turned into a happy growl.

“You’re spoiling him,” Louis chided, teasingly.

“Says the one who told Dex it was perfectly acceptable to eat Coco Pops for lunch,” Harry pointed out.

“Coco!” Dex exclaimed, beaming at Harry and Louis with excited eyes.

Harry sighed and muttered something about needing to work on ‘healthy eating habits’ but he still ended up making a bowl for Dex and, after seeing Louis’ pout, another one for Louis.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Harry decided not to conduct training that afternoon because Dex had decided he wanted to play hide and seek. Or, in actuality, as Louis muttered to Harry, the Betas had decided that Dex should be taught how to play hide and seek.

“Pair up,” Harry had stated when the rest of the pack announced their intention to include the woods as part of the game, “No one’s going in there alone.”

It was a reminder of the threat that was the rogue Alpha. The pack had been extra vigilant over the last few weeks but there had been no signs of the rogue. Still, Harry was reluctant to let his guard down.

“Where’s Zayn?” Louis asked, noting for the first time that the Beta wasn’t with the pack.

“In the library. He needed some alone time,” Liam answered, thumbing towards the house.

No one asked for any further details. The pack knew that, although Zayn was relatively tactile, he also needed a bit of time without the pack to unwind. It was part of who he was, his nature, and none of them ever begrudged him for it. 

Still, Louis couldn’t help but note that Zayn had been spending most of his evenings holed up in the Manor’s library. He glanced at Liam but the wolf didn’t seem worried. Liam knew Zayn better than anyone else. If he wasn’t worried about him, then Louis had no reason to be either.

“Alright then,” Cara grinned at the rest of the pack, pulling Louis’ attention away from the absent Beta, “Let’s get started!”

Harry held out his arms for Dex but the toddler evaded both him and Louis, reaching for a surprised looking Aidan.

“Well!” the Beta grinned as he hefted the toddler up onto his hip, “It looks like the kid wants to be on the winning team!”

“You wish!” Perrie and Nick shot back. while Niall, oh so maturely, stuck out his tongue in Aidan’s direction.

The teams were decided quickly and easily- Aidan and Dex, Cara and Nick, Niall and Perrie, Jesy and Liam and, finally, Harry and Louis.

Liam and Jesy offered to seek first and the other pack members scattered, vanishing into the woods at superhuman speed. Louis rolled his eyes and walked as fast as he could, offering Harry, who had slowed down for his benefit, an apologetic shrug.

“Wishing you’d partnered up with someone else?” Louis asked with a self-deprecating grin.

Harry gave him a soft glare before wrapping an arm around Louis’ shoulders and pulling him against his side.

“Nope. Dream Team, remember?” the wolf rumbled in his ear, causing Louis to bite his lip, “You’re the only partner I’d ever want.”

Something about the tone the words were delivered in had Louis glancing up at Harry but the wolf was already speaking again.

“We aren’t going to be able to outrun Liam and Jesy so let’s find somewhere close by where we can hide,” Harry stated, his forehead furrowing with thought, “We’ll have to find a way to hide our scents.”

“No we won’t,” Louis stated, grabbing Harry’s hand and pulling the confused Alpha along, “We just need to hide somewhere that’s already saturated with our scent so they won’t be able to distinguish whether it’s old or new.”

He knew Harry had figured it out when the wolf chuckled.

“Our treehouse?”

“Our treehouse.”

 

Louis had to admit that the treehouse had been much more comfortable when they had been children.

“Shit! It’s been years since we’ve been in here, hasn’t it?” Louis muttered as he tried to squeeze in beside Harry. 

He winced when his elbow jabbed against Harry’s ribs, causing the wolf to let out a pained whine.

“Fuck! Sorry, Hazza!”

“Here, just sit-”

“Shit! Sorry again!”

“Lou! Stop moving around so much.”

“It’s not my fault you’re practically a giant!”

“Hiding in here was _your_ idea!”

“Yeah well, it was a smart idea if both of us were _human_ sized!”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake just-”

Louis yelped in surprise when he suddenly found himself in Harry’s lap, the wolf’s arms tucked around him to prevent him from flailing about.

“This works,” Louis managed to say and Harry hummed in agreement.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Harry murmured, “I had a dream last night. Except…it wasn’t really a dream. I remembered something else from…uh..from _before_.”

Louis consciously tried to stop his heart beat from getting faster.

“What was it?” he asked, unable to help being worried at whatever new memory Harry might have unearthed. 

Would it have anything to do with Taylor and his time in London?

“There was…before I left…it was your birthday, I think? There was this club? You were there.”

“Yeah,” Louis managed to rasp out, his mind flooding with the painful memories, “There was this club.”

 

_The red and purple lights were for ambience, according to Nick, but Louis thought they just looked ridiculous. Although, he supposed, they complemented the weird coloured cocktail he was drinking._

_“What’s so fun about this place?” Louis asked, glancing over at Zayn and Perrie._

_Of course, Nick was the one to answer._

_“You’ll figure it out when you’re an adult,” he smirked at Louis._

_“Fuck off! I’m seventeen, thank you very much!”_

_“Shut up!” Zayn hissed in his ear, “We barely made it through the door with your fake ID. If anyone hears you say your real age-”_

_“Not to mention the fact that this club caters strictly to supernatural beings only,” Perrie cut in, “We’re lucky the bouncers believed us when we told them you were a werewolf.”_

_“That’s not luck,” Zayn snorted, “He’s practically saturated in the Alpha’s scent. Anyone would have believed-”_

_“Children,” Nick sighed, acting as if he were wise beyond his years, “Don’t quarrel. We have far more entertaining things to do.”_

_“Like getting murdered by the Alpha,” Perrie muttered, looking around with nervous eyes._

_“Harry’s not gonna kill anyone,” Louis told her but she just gave him a look of disbelief._

_“Has everyone other than me forgotten about the pack meeting we had an hour ago?” she asked with exasperation, “The Alpha **specifically** stated that we weren’t allowed to buy you a drink!”_

_“Technically, we didn’t,” Nick shrugged, glancing at the raven-haired vampire a few stools away, who had winked at Louis before proceeding to order him a drink._

_“Well, if Harry cared that much about it, maybe he shouldn’t have wandered off with that werewolf,” Louis huffed out, taking another sip._

_Nick chuckled before snidely asking, “Is somebody a little jealous?”_

_Louis started to splutter out an emphatic, “No!” before reconsidering. Okay…so maybe he was a little jealous but only because his supposed best friend had spent less than ten minutes with him before being claimed by some blonde-haired woman._

_And yeah, Harry had looked at him for permission but it wasn’t like Louis could refuse when the blonde who had asked Harry for a dance was standing right in front of them._

_So, he had given his best friend a smile and said, “Go on. I’ve got this lot for company!”_

_Harry had promised him he’d be back soon and hissed at the Betas to “look after him”, before proceeding to take the woman’s hand and letting her lead him onto the dance floor. Louis had watched them dance for a while, feeling something twist inside of him at the sight, before the Betas had managed to distract him. Now, he couldn’t even spot Harry among the throng of people. So much for being back soon._

_“Tomlinson!” Nick’s voice cut through his thoughts, “I don’t know who you’re glaring at but it’s scaring off anyone that might want to buy me a drink!”_

_Louis bared his teeth at Nick and raised his middle finger in response. Sometimes, the Beta got on his last nerve._

_“I really don’t think the Alpha’s interested in her,” Zayn stated softly, placing a hand on Louis’ shoulder, “He’s just being polite.”_

_“Why would I care if he is?” Louis snapped out before biting his lip._

_Being defensive wasn’t going to help him with hiding his giant crush on Harry. He glanced at Zayn, then at Nick and Perrie. They were all giving him sympathetic glances as if they knew…but no. Louis had been careful to hide it. Not even his own mum knew!_

_“He doesn’t need to babysit me,” Louis finally said, taking another sip of his drink, “None of you do.”_

_“We’re not babysitting you,” Zayn said at once, talking over Nick’s mutter of, “We so are.”_

_Louis opened his mouth to say something further when he heard a high-pitched female laugh. He automatically looked in the direction it had come from, to see the blonde-haired woman Harry had been dancing with._

_The girl now had her arms around Harry’s neck and was whispering something in his ear. Harry didn’t look entirely comfortable but he still had his arms around her waist as they swayed to the music. Every ten seconds, she would lean back to laugh uproariously._

_There was no way Harry’s jokes were funny enough for that kind of a reaction! Louis knew he was glaring but he couldn’t help it._

_“Can we have another of these cocktails?” Nick suddenly shouted to the bartender, causing Louis to shift his attention back to the Beta, “And a round of shots as well.”_

_To Louis’ left, Perrie and Zayn were having a whispered conversation that consisted almost entirely of hissed phrases. Occasionally, Louis could make out some of the words._

_“We shouldn’t get involved-” Perrie would start._

_“He’s flirting with that girl in front of-” Zayn would hiss back._

_“ **She’s** the one who’s flirting!”_

_“But if we tell the Alpha about how he’s meant to be-”_

_“He has to figure it out on his own, Zayn. It’s not our place to say anything. Besides, they have to both be eighteen before they recognise-”_

_“That doesn’t mean he should have to sit here and watch-”_

_“Nick stop buying him drinks-”_

_“..it’s his birthday! He deserves to have a good-”_

_Louis stopped paying attention to the whispered words after a while, focusing on drinking the colourful concoctions Nick ordered for him._

_He wasn’t the only one drinking. Zayn and Nick were having just as many as him but Perrie was staying sober, watching all of them with clear disapproval._

_“You shouldn’t drink any more of those,” she finally stated when Louis reached for yet another shot._

_Louis patted her on the shoulder, clumsily, before downing the drink in his hand._

_“Pink cocktail,” he mumbled to Nick who didn’t think twice before ordering the drink Louis was talking about._

_Nick, Louis decided, wasn’t so bad after all._

_Perrie looked as if she were about to protest further but thankfully, Zayn decided to save Louis from further lectures by grabbing his hand. This was why he loved Zayn the most._

_“Let’s hit the dance floor,” Zayn told him, pulling him along._

_“Waste not,” Nick stated behind them as he grabbed the drink Louis had been forced to leave behind._

_“I don’t wanna dance,” Louis pouted at Zayn, “I wanna drink more.”_

_“Later,” Zayn slurred back as they started to shuffle together in what could barely be called a dance, “I miss Leeyum.”_

_“Yeah,” Louis nodded emphatically, “Y..you should..like…do that thing…all the things..kiss and stuff.”_

_Zayn made a confused sound._

_“With Leeyum,” Louis clarified and the name sounded weird to him but maybe it was just a weird name, “You should..whatsit called…kiss him and date him out.”_

_“You mean, ask him out,” Zayn answered but he didn’t sound too sure about it._

_“Nah, date him out,” Louis stated, confidently, “Makes more sense.”_

_Zayn nodded agreeably before giggling, which set Louis off. They stood there, clutching at each other in hysterical laughter until Zayn suddenly slurred, “Need to use the loo. Be right back.”_

_Louis nodded, still giggling as he watched Zayn stumble off. He glanced towards the bar but he couldn’t see Nick or Perrie. Huh. Maybe they had gone to the loo too._

_“Hi there, gorgeous,” a smooth, male voice made him look to his right, where a brown-haired man stood._

_He looked familiar somehow but Louis was certain he hadn’t seen him before. Then again, Louis **was** a tad drunk. His memory wasn’t the best right now!_

_“Hiii,” he drawled back, covering his mouth with a hand as he giggled._

_The man looked older than him, maybe around the same age as Harry. He had a friendly smile and, when Louis tried to reach out and poke his cheek, he just chuckled and drew Louis closer. The way he sniffed at Louis’ hair told him the guy was probably a werewolf._

_“Wanna dance, babe?” the man asked, giving him a charming grin._

_Louis shook his head, giggling again. He couldn’t seem to stop!_

_“Can’t dance,” he answered, reaching for the man’s arm when the world suddenly tilted, “Harry sucks too.”_

_He wasn’t sure if he’d told the werewolf who Harry was but the guy seemed to understand._

_“I can teach you,” the man offered with another smile, adjusting Louis until his arms were wrapped around the wolf’s neck, “My name’s Darren. What should I call you, babe?”_

_“L…” Louis frowned. His name started with an L, he knew that._

_“Uh..L..Lius..Lew…can’t remember,” Louis told him, “But ‘m not drunk, ‘kay?”_

_The man, Darren laughed out loud, giving Louis a fond look._

_“Is it Lewis?” he asked, clearly guessing._

_“Think so,” Louis mumbled, “Somethin’ like that.”_

_“Let’s dance then, Lewis,” Darren proclaimed, drawing Louis even closer._

_“‘Kay,” Louis mumbled back, letting the guy move him around until his head was comfortably resting against the man’s shoulder, “Feels nice.”_

_He felt his eyes flutter shut._

_“Good,” Darren whispered in his ear, a smile in his voice, “Don’t worry about a thing, babe. I’ll take care of you.”_

_Louis wasn’t sure how long they danced for, swaying in the same spot but when he finally managed to open his eyes again, the sight that met him sent a cold jolt of shock through his body._

_There, just a few feet away from where he and Darren stood, was Harry. Harry and that girl he had spent the better part of the night with. They were kissing, lips locked together. One of her hands was tangled in his curls and the other was curled against his back._

_Louis felt something heavy drop in his stomach. He pushed away from his dancing partner and, without entirely knowing what he was doing, started to take a step towards them. Thankfully, Darren’s hand wrapped around his shoulder before he could make an arse of himself._

_“You okay, Lewis?” Darren asked, eyes looking concerned, “You’ve gone pale, babe.”_

_“Y..yeah! I’m…I..I need to go,” Louis managed to rush out, his mind clearing enough for him to figure out that was the most sensible plan._

_He turned away from Darren, blindly pushing through the crowd and stumbling back towards the bar._

_He had to find Perrie. She was the only one sober enough to get him home and right now, Louis wanted to be as far away from this club as possible._

_“Hey! Hang on a minute!” Darren’s voice sounded from behind him but Louis didn’t bother to turn around._

_At least, not until he reached the bar and felt a sharp pain on his upper shoulder._

_“What the f-?” he turned around, blinked at Darren, who was shoving a drunk man away._

_In the man’s hand was a now broken shot glass._

_“Wha’ happened?” the man sounded completely hammered, “Did I trip or somethin’?”_

_“Why don’t you watch where you’re going, pal?” Darren hissed at the guy before pushing him further away from Louis._

_Louis just stood there, blinking, trying to understand why his arm was now bleeding. Darren reached into his pocket and extracted a clean handkerchief._

_“Here, just let me…” he reached for Louis’ shoulder, keeping the touch gentle as he wiped away the drops of blood caused by the broken glass._

_“I can’t see any glass shards,” he murmured, as he wiped the skin clean, “But maybe get it checked by a doctor, just to be on the safe side.”_

_“What’s going on? What happened?”_

_Louis felt a sense of relief go through him as he heard Perrie’s voice. The Beta grabbed his arm, pulling him back and away from Darren, who was still holding the bloody hanky._

_“A drunk guy hit him with a glass,” Darren explained, “It’s just a scratch, I think.”_

_Perrie glanced at Louis, who nodded to confirm the story._

_“Right. Well, I’ve got it from here,” she stated, fixing Darren with a hard look._

_“He’s nice,” Louis tried to defend the man who had danced with him but that only had Perrie’s glare intensifying._

_“Uh..it looks like you’ll be okay so I’ll just…leave you to it,” Darren stammered, giving Perrie a nervous glance._

_“Thanks for…” Louis trailed off, indicated his shoulder with one hand._

_Darren smiled and shook his head._

_“No worries, babe. Maybe I’ll see you around,” he said, a hopeful look in his eye._

_“Or maybe you won’t,” Perrie interjected, pulling Louis away before he could say a proper goodbye._

_“Rude,” Louis huffed out._

_“He’s a werewolf from another pack,” Perrie hissed at Louis as she tugged him along with her, “The Alpha’s going to go mental if he smells him on you!”_

_“He doesn't get to decide who I hang out with,” Louis muttered, bitterly._

_Perrie gave him an exasperated look but she kept ahold of his arm as she rounded up Zayn and Nick. As she led them out of the club, a part of Louis yearned to turn back and find Harry but he was scared of the sight that might meet him if he did._

_“What happened, love?” Perrie asked Louis softly as she drove them back to the Manor for the night._

_Zayn and Nick were dozing in the backseat and Louis was curled up in the front seat, staring desolately out the window. He had given in, a few minutes into the drive, and texted Harry; a half-drunk text just asking him where he was. He had gotten no reply._

_The image of Harry and that girl kissing was still in his head, playing on a constant loop despite his best attempts to forget it._

_“Nothing,” Louis mumbled back, a lot more sober than he had been ten minutes ago, “Please don’t ask.”_

_There must have been something in his tone, for Perrie didn’t say another word, just reached over to give his knee a comforting squeeze._

_“Everything’s going to work out,” Perrie murmured to him._

_Louis sighed. He wished he could believe her words._

_It was the next morning, hungover and grumpy, that Louis saw Harry again. The front door opened and the wolf walked in, hair a rumpled mess and clothes half torn._

_“Are you okay?” Louis rushed to him, almost reached out before suddenly freezing._

_On Harry’s shirt collar was the imprint of a red lipstick._

_“Oh.” Louis stepped back, looked away._

_He knew his cheeks had turned red, both from anger and embarrassment. Obviously Harry was okay. In fact, he seemed to have had a brilliant night! Lovely._

_“You spent the night at her place, then?” Louis couldn’t stop himself from asking._

_Harry looked startled and he glanced down at himself, as if just realising the state of his clothes._

_“I…um…I guess so? I woke up in alone in a hotel room this morning. I don’t actually remember much of what happened and I’ve got a killer of a headache but…Taylor,” Harry cleared his throat, “Her name was Taylor. She’s a member of the Swift pack.”_

_“Lovely,” Louis said and he bit back the bitter words he wanted to add to that name._

_He had no right to be jealous. Harry wasn’t his, after all. He couldn’t monopolise his attention all the time._

_“I saw you with that guy,” Harry’s voice drew his attention back to the wolf, who was looking at him with conflicted eyes, “Did he know how old you were?”_

_Louis frowned._

_“No. Why would that matter?” he asked._

_“He was all over you,” Harry muttered under his breath and then, more unsurely, “You still…you smell a bit like him. Did you two…?”_

_Louis blinked as he realised what Harry was asking. The answer was obviously no. Him and Darren hadn’t even kissed, let alone taken it any further, unlike Harry and Taylor it seemed._

_It was the thought of that woman, the way her and Harry had been kissing, that prompted Louis to say what he did._

_“Yeah,” Louis answered, glancing away before Harry could see the lie in his eyes, “His name’s Darren. Had a great time with him.”_

_There was a moment of silence and Louis heard Harry take a shuddering breath._

_“Right,” Harry cleared his throat and looked at the wall somewhere behind Louis, hands clenched into fists by his side, “That’s…I’m glad you had a good birthday.”_

_“Thanks,” Louis replied, feeling suddenly cold and guilty._

_He almost regretted letting Harry believe something had happened between him and Darren but he could hardly change the story now! Then, his eyes caught sight of the lipstick mark on Harry’s shirt and suddenly, the guilt was replaced by a simmering anger._

_“You planning on getting changed anytime soon?” he asked, his voice coming out harsher than he intended._

_Harry flinched back in surprise, letting out a pained whine as the movement increased his headache. Louis wanted nothing more than to soothe the werewolf but he settled for saying, “Have a glass of water and a painkiller. It helps.”_

_“Thanks,” Harry replied and he opened his mouth, as if to say something further but the pack chose that moment to stream in, causing Louis to groan as his own headache picked back up._

_“Alpha,” Nick began and then froze, raising an eyebrow at Harry’s disheveled form, “Looks like you had a great night.”_

_Without his usual smirk on his face, Nick’s comment sounded more like a reproach._

_“ **Smells** like you had a great night,” Aidan added, smirking._

_“Shut up, Aidan,” Jesy muttered, elbowing him in the ribs and throwing Louis a concerned look._

_Before Louis could try and figure out what that look meant, Harry spoke again._

_“I’m…gonna go take a shower,” he mumbled to the room at large before shuffling out._

_Louis was left with a heavy feeling in his gut when Harry left without scenting him. Clearly, they were fighting but Louis wasn’t entirely certain what about!_

_For the rest of the day, the pack were restless and training was an unmitigated disaster. Even when Harry snuck into his bed later that night and scented him, apologising for being distant all day, the feeling in Louis’ gut never went away._

_Not for the first time, he found himself wishing he’d never gone to that club at all!  
_

 

Louis was brought out of the memory by Harry’s finger on his lips, warning him to stay quiet.

“I can hear Jesy and Liam,” Harry whispered in his ear, “Don’t talk.”

“You can’t tell me what to do, Harold,” Louis mumbled back, more out of habit than anything else.

Harry huffed out a laugh against his neck.

Louis waited until Harry said, “Sounds like they’ve gone”, before tilting his head back so he could see Harry’s face, “The club. How much do you remember?”

“Not much,” Harry said, a frown marring his expression, “Bits and pieces, here and there. I remember you looked…” Harry cut himself off, clearing his throat before adding, “And I was drunk. I think?”

Louis nodded. He had to look away for a minute as the hurt he had felt that night returned. There had been another feeling as well, one Louis now recognised to be jealousy. 

He cleared his throat, turned his focus back to the present.

“It’s where you met her. Taylor.”

He could tell that Harry hadn’t remembered that part of it from the way the wolf’s eyes widened.

“That night?” Harry asked, face shocked, “I met her at the club?”

“Yeah,” Louis nodded.

“But you were there! You-” Harry cut off suddenly and closed his eyes. 

“Fuck, how could I have done that?” he muttered under his breath but Louis still heard it.

It would be painful to tell Harry his memories from that night. It would be difficult to talk about how he had turned around to see Taylor and Harry kissing, hands all over each other. It would hurt to relive it in his mind but if Harry wanted to know, Louis had no right to keep it from him.

“D..do you want me to tell you what I remember?” he asked, quietly.

He hated the small part of his mind that selfishly hoped Harry would say no.

“I don’t know all of it,” Louis continued as he forced himself to recall that night, “But I know you met her at the bar. She-”

“Don’t!” the wolf growled out, much to Louis’ surprise.

He made a soft, questioning sound when Harry leant down to nuzzle against his neck, “Don’t tell me. Please? I’d rather not know. It..it doesn’t matter right now.”

There was a tone of pleading desperation in the wolf’s voice and, despite not understanding why Harry acted as if it were a painful thing to talk about, Louis nodded and said no more.

They sat there for a while- Louis lost in his own thoughts and Harry scenting him in a slow, methodical manner. It was relaxing in the way that being with Harry always was.

“There isn’t going to be a full moon run tomorrow,” Harry stated suddenly, startling Louis out of his thoughts.

“Why?” Louis asked, frowning up at the Alpha, “Is it because of the tyre incident?”

“No,” Harry shook his head, his arms tightening around Louis at the mere thought of that night, “Even if the rogue Alpha’s around, they wouldn’t be insane enough to take on a whole pack of werewolves when we’re at our strongest.”

Louis supposed that made sense. 

“So why is there no run tomorrow?”

“The Betas need to conserve their energy for the blue moon,” Harry explained “It’s in two weeks.”

Louis’ eyes widened in understanding. The blue moon was a special occasion for any werewolf pack. It only happened about once every three years and it was the only night when every werewolf was able to shift between forms at will.

Traditionally, the members of the Styles pack had used to camp out in the forest on blue moon nights but, ever since Louis had joined the pack, Anne had changed the ritual, citing it as too dangerous. Now, the pack went for a long run, often only returning in the early hours of the morning.

“You’ll be leading the pack for it, right?” Louis confirmed and Harry nodded, resting his cheek on top of Louis’ hair.

“Yeah, but only for an hour or so. Then Liam will take over and I’ll be coming back to the house to help you prepare.”

“Prepare?” Louis asked, confused, “What am I preparing?”

“Liam and Zayn asked me if they could bond during the blue moon since I accidentally interrupted their last attempt,” Harry ducked his head but Louis still saw the way his cheeks flushed with guilt.

“You didn’t mean to,” he reminded the werewolf, gently, “Zayn and Liam don’t blame you for it.”

“It’s…bonding’s a huge deal,” Harry bit his lip, his gaze shifting to the ground, “Finding and accepting your mate is one thing but bonding with them means you won’t just be two individuals anymore. You’ll be a unit- stronger together, weaker apart. It’s a life-altering decision to make. Interrupting that, even accidentally is…I’d hate me if I were them.”

“They don’t blame you,” Louis repeated and then, because Harry looked like he needed it, reached up to pet his hair, “And isn’t bonding on the blue moon even better?”

Harry looked surprised that Louis knew that and Louis huffed out a breath, muttering, “I do sometimes read the books Zayn gets me, you know!”

Harry smiled softly, instinctively leaning into Louis’ touch.

“Yeah, you’re right. Bonding under the blue moon is more powerful. Zayn and Liam will be able to shift between forms, which ensures that both their human and wolf sides accept the other as their mate,” Harry smiled, nuzzling against Louis’ hair, “Mum and Dad bonded on the night of the blue moon.”

“I never knew that,” Louis murmured back, keeping his voice soft.

It was rare for Harry to want to talk about his parents. Even after all these years, Louis knew he still found it difficult to accept their deaths, both having fallen in the line of battle while defending their territory.

“She used to say…” Harry cleared his throat before continuing, “She said that her and Dad felt as if they could hear each other’s thoughts. That’s how strong the bond between them was. Even after his death, she said she sometimes heard his voice when she was scared or worried.”

Harry had only been nine when his dad had met his death. The only reason Anne had sent her husband instead of going herself, was because she had thought it would only be a simple matter of re-signing the peace treaty with the fairies. 

None of them had foreseen the trap or expected the fairies to challenge the Styles pack for their territory. Harry’s dad had put up a good fight, holding them off long enough for Anne and the rest of the pack to get there and finish the battle. Unfortunately, not even his fast healing abilities had been able to save him from the injuries he had sustained during the fight.

Anne had once thanked Louis for saving Harry.

“Saving him from what?” the then ten year old Louis had asked her.

“From himself,” Anne had replied, pressing a kiss to Louis’ cheek, “The first time I saw Harry smiling again after his father’s death, was the day he met you.” 

 

Not wanting Harry to get caught up in sad memories, Louis changed the topic back to the run.

“What abut Dex? Is he staying at the Manor with me until you get back?”

“Yes, I think that would be best,” Harry replied, “He can join in with the Cuddle later.”

Louis smiled at the thought of Dex at the centre of the Cuddle, the Betas wrapped around him in a warm, comforting embrace. He briefly wondered if the Swift pack had ever used to do anything like that; if Dex had ever experienced it before. Somehow, he doubted it.

“After performing our duties as Alphas, we should give the newly bonded couple some time to themselves,” Harry continued, “I was thinking we could let them spend the night alone at the Manor?”

“They’ll be thrilled with that!” Louis smiled, “The rest of us can spend the night at my place. Mum won’t mind.”

“Perfect,” Harry smiled before cocking his head to the right.

After a few seconds, he chuckled and nudged Louis off his lap.

“Hide and Seek’s over. We won that round,” Harry grinned.

“The Dream Team lives on!” Louis chuckled and held up his hand for a high-five, which Harry promptly returned.

He started to climb out of the treehouse, rolling his eyes when the wolf jumped down ahead of him, completely bypassing the rope ladder.

“Show off,” he muttered but the tone was fond.

Harry grinned back up at him and reached out to help him off the last few rungs of the ladder. Except, instead of holding his hand to steady him, Harry decided the most effective way was to simply lift Louis into his arms before placing him on the ground. 

“Overprotective,” Louis stated with a smile as he pushed past the wolf, something warm growing in his chest.

He stopped when he felt Harry’s hand wrap around his wrist.

Louis turned back and raised his eyebrow at Harry, who was watching him with an unrecognisable emotion in his eyes.

“I hate that I don’t have all my memories,” Harry said, softly, “I hate that I can’t remember everything that happened or _why_ some of those things happened.”

Louis started to reach for him but Harry took a sudden step closer, leaning down, his lips brushing over Louis’ cheek as he spoke.

“But if I had to forget something,” the Alpha whispered, his breath leaving prickles of sensation across Louis’ skin, “I’m glad it wasn’t you.”

Louis stared after Harry as he walked away, back towards the Manor where the rest of the pack were already gathered. 

“Hazza?”

The wolf paused in his steps, tilted his head enquiringly in Louis’ direction.

“You know I’m going to figure it out, right? Whatever it is you’re keeping from me.”

“I’m counting on it,” Harry answered with a soft smile.

Then, he turned away, heading towards the Manor. Louis was left more confused than ever but he felt something else too.

A warmth spread through his chest as he thought of Harry’s words.

_if I had to forget something, I’m glad it wasn’t you_

And, if his crush on Harry was growing…well. No one had to know. Not even Harry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is Louis incredibly oblivious? Yes. Yes he is. Also, without giving away any future spoilers, let me just say this: please don’t judge any of the characters too harshly just yet because things may not be as obvious as they seem…
> 
> And after that cryptic message, you’re going to hate the second thing I’m about to say. I made this chapter longer than usual because unfortunately, there won’t be an update next month and I wanted to apologise in advance for that. My life is going to be crazily busy for the next month and a half, which means I’ll have very little time for writing. I know most of you are incredibly understanding and supportive and I can never thank you enough for that! I’ll try to get the next chapter written as soon as I can <3
> 
> Finally, things are going to get a lot more exciting in the upcoming chapter. A few pieces of the mystery will start to line up so hopefully, it will be worth the wait!  
> Comments make me happy so please leave one if you can. Until the next update, love to you all <3 Mystic xx


	11. XI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all very much for the kudos and comments this fic has received so far. It’s an honour to have such an incredibly supportive, understanding and encouraging set of readers :) You are all amazing and I hope this (long) chapter was worth the wait! <3 xx
> 
> Note: This chapter probably contains medical inaccuracies but it _is_ a fic about werewolves so we left reality a while ago ;)

It wasn’t that surprising a fact for Louis to wake up to a face full of curls. Dex had a habit of burrowing close to him at night, tucking his face against the hollow of Louis’ neck and sometimes, gnawing gently at the skin there. Louis knew it was a habit he should be trying to break but it was a form of comfort for the toddler. He had only ever refused to let Dex mark him once (on the morning of his school photos) and that had not ended well for anyone involved, with Dex clinging to him and snarling at Harry and the Betas when they tried to pry him off of Louis. So yes, it was normal for him to wake up to a face full of curls.

It was also normal for Louis to feel a heavy arm draped around his waist and warm breath against the nape of his neck, where Harry had situated himself in his sleep. The werewolf had no concept of personal space while sleeping but Louis had never minded. In fact, he was so used to it that if he ever woke up without Harry curled around him, he felt out of sorts for the rest of the day.

What _was_ unusual, however, was the incessant buzzing of his phone.

Since ignoring it didn’t seem to be working out, Louis let out a sigh and reluctantly started to sit up. Dex made a soft noise of protest in his sleep and Harry’s arm clutched Louis closer. 

“I need to answer the phone,” Louis yawned.

Harry gave a growl of protest, refusing to loosen his hold on Louis. 

“Ma,” Dex mumbled in his sleep, “Stay.”

For a moment, Louis wanted to say ‘Screw it’, and oblige. But his phone _never_ rang unless it was an emergency of some sort. The pack knew he preferred to text.

With obvious reluctance, Louis used his smaller frame to his advantage and managed to wriggle out of Harry’s grip, petting Dex’s hair softly when the boy whined. He glanced back at the bed, a fond smile entering his face when he saw that Harry’s arms had latched onto Dex now that Louis was no longer occupying the middle spot. 

Louis padded over to the table, picking up his phone and answering the call before it disturbed the sleeping werewolves any further.

“Hello?” Louis spoke into the phone, not bothering to check the caller ID.

“Alpha,” Perrie’s voice came through, “Sorry for waking you up but it’s about the photos you sent Zayn and I. The ones the Montgomery pack gave you.”

“Give me a minute,” Louis whispered into the phone, the last vestiges of sleep leaving him.

He reached out to grab the case file he had placed in his desk drawer when his eyes caught sight of the leather notebook Alpha Corden had given him. Figuring that he could jot down anything Perrie may have found, he grabbed that and a pen as well before slipping out of the bedroom, quietly shutting the door behind him. 

It was early enough that not even his mum was awake so Louis settled himself on the stairs.

“Did you find anything?” he asked into the phone, keeping his voice low enough that it wouldn’t disturb Harry or Dex.

“We looked for any sort of connection between the murders but there doesn’t seem to be one,” Perrie answered, “All of the victims are werewolves but they’re from different packs. Some are even from different territories. It just seems…random.”

She sounded frustrated. It wasn’t often that something challenged her to this extent. 

“There has to be _something_ ,” Louis frowned, “Alpha Montgomery mentioned it might be a pack of rogue creatures. They can’t have been targeting werewolves for no reason.”

“A pack of rogues?” there was a moment of quiet contemplation from Perrie’s end before she said, “Alpha, I don’t think this is the work of a pack.”

“Why not?” Louis questioned.

“Because a killer’s mode of operation is like their signature,” she explained, “If it were a pack of rogues, even if they were trying to replicate each other’s style, there would still be subtle differences in the way each attack was carried out. All of these victims were murdered in the exact same way.”

“Blood drained from the body with no visible marks,” Louis read out loud, flicking through the file, “It’s definitely supernatural in nature but probably not vampires since there weren’t any marks, right?”

There was a heavy pause from the other side of the phone.

“Alpha,” Perrie’s voice shook slightly as she spoke, “There aren’t any marks because their blood wasn’t drained. It was frozen.”

“ _What?_ ” Louis asked, sharply.

“We triple-checked. All the bodies have a slightly blue tinge to them. That wouldn’t happen if their blood was drained. It was definitely frozen.”

Louis studied the first photograph. Perrie was right. The bodies were pale at first glance but there was an almost cold, blue tinge to them that he hadn’t noticed before.

“Shit,” Louis muttered out loud to himself. 

He thought about Sarah Montgomery’s brother, George. It had been bad enough to know he had been murdered but to have been murdered in such a terrible way was…

“The effects would have been instantaneous,” Perrie spoke softly, “It…it would have been a quick death. For all of them.” 

“Right,” Louis nodded.

What was done was done. He had to focus on the present, not the past. 

“What kind of creature can do that?” he asked, “A witch?”

“Possibly. Any creature that has powerful ties with magic could. Zayn’s started making a list of all the supernatural creatures that have the ability to freeze liquids but it’s going to take us a while longer.”

Louis placed the file down and picked up the notebook, intending to make a note about this latest finding but before he could, a sudden electric sensation shot through his palm. Louis bit off a shocked cry as he lost hold of the book, which tumbled to the step below him.

“Alpha?” Perrie sounded worried, “Are you still there?”

“Yeah,” Louis answered but his voice came out slightly strangled.

The book had fallen open, exposing the front page and he was now staring down at a pencilled sketch of his own face. That had definitely not been there the last time he had checked!

“Is there anyone there with you? Do you need me to come over or-”

“No!” Louis interrupted her, reaching for the notebook with a trembling hand, “I…I’m fine.”

The sensation wasn’t as strong this time but he still felt it; a moment of static shock as his hands came in contact with the age-worn paper, before it faded into a pleasant, almost welcoming, warmth.

“There’s more,” Perrie said, hesitantly.

“Okay,” Louis took a shaky breath, tracing a finger over the sketched portrait of himself, “Tell me.”

“I’ve been…um..plotting the location of each murder. I thought it might help us figure out what the killer’s movement patterns are.”

“Right,” Louis nodded, hand still resting on the notebook’s page.

For some reason, it helped to calm him down, allowing him to remain focused on the conversation despite the way his heart was racing.

“I dug into the National Supernatural Database to see if any similar homicides had been reported recently.”

Louis didn’t ask her how she had managed to hack into such a secure network. Some things, he had learnt long ago, he was better off not knowing. 

“There’s been another one, just last week.”

“Where?” Louis asked, feeling a sense of panic sweep through him.

“Grimford.”

Louis let out a sigh of relief before it hit him.

“Wait, that’s-”

“Corden pack territory,” Perrie confirmed, “It was one of their oldest members. She was sixty-five.”

“Fuck!” Louis closed his eyes.

He would have to call Alpha Corden but no words of sympathy would ever be able to soothe the ache the Corden pack would be experiencing. Losing a pack member was like having a limb cut off. It would take time for them to work out how to function without one of their Betas, especially one who had been with them for such a long time. 

A sudden thought struck Louis.

“Perrie, what was the age of the first werewolf that was killed?”

“Um…” he heard the ruffling of pages as Perrie sifted through the documents she had, “He was a few months away from turning seventeen.”

“And the others? Tell me their ages, in the order they were murdered.” 

“Uh…okay,” Perrie answered, clearly confused by the direction Louis was leading them in, “The second Beta was twenty-four, the next was a female aged thirty-two, then the Montgomery pack’s Beta who was fifty and now, sixty-five…wait. Why is it going up in chronological order?”

“That’s the pattern,” Louis answered, a feeling of dread unfurling in his gut, “The killer’s been practicing.”

“I don’t get it,” Perrie said, slowly, trying to draw the same conclusion Louis had, “Practicing for what?”

“Where does a pack’s strength lie?” 

“In its members,” Perrie answered at once, “That’s why Liam’s so strict with training.”

“Exactly. And who’s the weakest member of our pack, in terms of the werewolf hierarchy?”

“Dex,” Perrie stated, “Because he’s the-”

“Youngest,” Louis finished for her.

“You mean…” Perrie swallowed loudly, “The killer’s trying to weaken each pack’s strength?”

“Started with the youngest for the first pack,” Louis thought out loud, fitting the pieces together in his head, “Watched the effect it had. Even the loss of the youngest member would affect the way a pack functions. Then, the killer worked their way up the hierarchy. The older a Beta is, the stronger they tend to be because they have more years of experience. I’ll bet anything that the latest victim was the Corden pack’s strongest Beta.”

Had the killer always known how a werewolf pack’s hierarchy worked? Or had they learnt along the way by observing the effect each death had on the other members? It made Louis sick to think of it, to try and figure out the mind of a murderer.

“Alpha,” Perrie’s voice was more insistent this time, demanding his attention, “The Corden territory is only two hours from here. The next territory, geographically speaking, is-”

“Ours,” Louis took a deep breath and tried his best to calm his nerves, “I’m aware.”

He would have to tell Harry. As soon as possible. It would be idiotic to keep this from him now, when the pack could be at risk of an actual attack.

“But you said the killer was working their way up the pack hierarchy. We don’t have any Betas over the age of sixty-five,” Perrie pointed out.

“No, we don’t,” Louis agreed.

He glanced down at the sketch in the leather notebook.

“But we do have a human Alpha,” he whispered.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Louis wandered back into the bedroom with the notebook clutched in his hand, to the sight of a bleary-eyed Harry and a pouting toddler. 

“Ma,” Dex whined, holding out his arms until Louis conceded and crawled back into bed, taking a second to carefully place the book on the bedside table.

Perhaps he should have been scared of the book but some instinctual part of him was certain it wouldn’t hurt him or the pack. Still, he pulled Dex closer, shielding the boy in his arms, just in case. 

“Why are you up so early on a Saturday, Lou?” Harry mumbled against the crook of his neck, his arm wrapping around Louis’ frame again.

Louis considered telling him right then and there but it wasn’t something he wanted Dex to hear or freak out about. At least, that’s what he told himself. A part of him knew he was just scared about how Harry would react to the news.

“I’ll tell you later,” he whispered to the wolf instead.

“‘Kay,” Harry nuzzled him with a contented sigh, “Sleep now.”

For once, Louis didn’t argue. He could use the rest. He had a feeling this would be the last peaceful sleep any of them would have for a while.

He snuggled back against Harry and let himself feel safe, for just a little while longer.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Louis?”

Jay’s voice sounded worried and, when Louis turned to look at her, she was wearing a concerned frown.

“Where are Harry and Dex?”

“At the Manor,” Louis told her.

Specifically, they had returned to the Manor because Louis had told Perrie and Zayn to call a pack meeting so they could fill Harry and the other Betas in on everything they had found out. 

Louis had then spent the rest of the morning hiding out in his house, putting off going to the Manor and facing the music. He knew it was a cowardly move but he really didn’t want to face Harry’s reaction. The only reason he was heading there now was because Zayn had texted him and, in no uncertain terms, told him to get his arse over there or else. 

For some reason, Jay looked relieved by the news.

“They didn’t stay over last night then?” she asked.

“They did but a pack thing came up this morning,” Louis answered.

For just a second, it looked as if Jay were going to say something argumentative but when she spoke, her tone was soft.

“Anything you want to talk to me about?” Jay asked, not probing but letting him know she was there for him if he needed her.

Sometimes, it was difficult to stick with his resolve to not get his mum involved in pack business. Especially now, when he was worried, scared and confused about what the future held.

“No,” he shifted his eyes away from her, “Nothing important.”

“Just pack stuff, right?” Jay sighed, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. 

Louis didn’t notice as he grabbed the straps of his backpack and turned towards the front door. Even after all these years, his mum didn’t always understand how the packed worked but she had always supported him, even when she had no idea what he was getting involved in. 

Today though, Jay seemed oddly on edge. 

“Where are you heading off to?” she asked, eyeing the backpack.

The diary was inside it. Louis couldn’t explain why but he felt a sense of dread at the thought of leaving it behind. Almost as if he _needed_ it with him, to keep him calm and in control.

“The Manor,” he replied, trying to figure out why his mother looked so worried.

“By yourself?” 

Ah. Louis tried not to get annoyed at how his mum had been breathing down his neck about every move he made since the tyre incident. He knew she was just concerned but it was hard not to find it frustrating at times. He wasn’t a little kid! In fact, he was only a few months away from graduating high school.

Then again, a rogue Alpha wasn’t the only threat on the horizon anymore. 

“Jesy’s picking me up,” he answered his mum.

Louis wondered what she would think if she knew the reason he was going over to the Manor- to come up with a battle plan to secure their territory from a murderer. 

“I’ll be back for dinner,” he promised her, pushing back the guilt of keeping such a large secret from her and leaning forward to press a kiss to her cheek.

“Louis,” Jay’s voice made him pause and glance back.

His mum was twisting the rings on her fingers, a sure sign that she was about to say something difficult.

“It’s just…” Jay cleared her throat, “Well, I couldn’t help but notice that, ever since Harry’s come back, you’ve been spending a lot of time with him and Dex.”

“So?” Louis was aware he sounded defensive for no conceivable reason, “I’ve always spent time with the pack.”

“I know that,” Jay spoke softly, almost as if Louis were a spooked animal that needed to be handled with care, “But you, Harry and Dex hang out a lot…without the others. I can’t help but wonder if there’s anything going on between you and Harry.”

“Nothing out of the ordinary,” Louis frowned, not understanding what his mum was trying to say. 

“So you’re still…just friends?”

“Best friends,” Louis felt the need to clarify, “As we’ve always been.”

He wasn’t lying. Sure, his crush on Harry didn’t appear to be going away anytime soon but their friendship was as strong as ever.

Jay looked pained, as if she had hoped the answer would be different.

“I see,” she pursed her lips and took a deep breath, “In that case, maybe you should consider spending some time around…other people. Maybe ones closer to your age.”

It was a statement more than a suggestion. 

“What?” Louis knew he sounded incredulous, “Liam and Jesy are my age. Zayn’s just a few months younger-”

“You should start hanging around with other people outside of the pack. In fact, I met this lovely boy the other day at-”

“Mum,” Louis interjected, “What are you trying to say?”

Jay sighed.

“I think you should consider dating. I know you’re close to the pack but all this time spent with them is holding you back from carving out a life of your own. I’m not saying you need to jump into a relationship straight away but you should get to know others besides the pack members.”

Louis’ first instinct was to lash out but he managed to reign himself in. Still, his voice was tight when he answered.

“I’m perfectly fine, thanks. Why do you care about my dating life all of a sudden?”

“Don’t be like that, love,” Jay sighed, “I’m just trying to look out for you. You’re already so…attached to Dex and if you and Harry aren’t…”

She trailed off when she saw Louis’ jaw tighten further.

“Louis,” Jay stepped forward, reaching out for him, “I just don’t want you to suffer. You’re an amazing boy. You deserve to have happiness.”

Louis closed his eyes but he didn’t protest when his mum pulled him into a hug.

“I am happy,” he mumbled against her shoulder.

“Are you really, love?” Jay whispered back.

She paused before adding, soft enough that Louis barely caught it, “I don’t want you to waste away your life waiting for Harry to notice you.”

Louis froze, pulling back so fast he nearly stumbled over his own feet.

“What?” He knew his eyes were wide when he met his mum’s.

Jay was looking at him with a combination of regret, pity and concern.

“What?” he repeated, “I don’t…Harry’s not…I never…”

“You look at him as if he singlehandedly hung the moon,” Jay said, softly, “You always have. You can hide it from the pack, love, but you can’t hide it from your own mother. I know you.”

Louis’ throat worked but nothing came out. He had been so certain he’d kept his crush a secret and yet…

“I’m not _waiting_ for anyone!” he snapped out, defensively, “I spend time with Harry because he’s my best friend and the Alpha of my pack. I look after Dex because he needs me and he’s brought nothing but joy to the pack. It works. I’m _happy_! So stop making assumptions and trying to tell me what-”

“Louis,” Jay cut across, holding up her hands in a placating gesture, “I’ve gone about this all wrong. What I’m trying to say is, what happens if Dex’s mother enters the picture again? What happens if Harry decides to move back to London? Where does that leave you?”

Louis blinked. His mum wasn’t trying to be mean but she was voicing the same worries he had been thinking about ever since the moment Dex had started to call him ‘Ma’. 

“No one can be alone forever, love,” Jay murmured, stepping closer but knowing her son well enough to not reach for him just yet, “Harry’s got his son. What about you? Who do you have?”

“The pack,” Louis answered instinctively.

Jay opened her mouth to speak again but Louis didn’t give her the chance.

“That’s where it leaves me, Mum,” he stated, his tone leaving no room for argument, “It leaves me with a pack to run. I’m their Alpha. They’re my Betas. The bonds between us, the loyalty that ties us together is…it would take too long to explain but trust me. I’ll always have the pack. And I’m happy with that.”

Jay gave him a sad smile.

“Maybe you’re happy right now,” she said, quietly, “But is that enough for a lifetime?”

Louis turned away and slipped out the door. He told himself it was because he didn’t want to argue with his mum anymore but a part of him knew that it was because he had no answer to give her. 

 

Jay sighed as the door slammed shut behind her son. She had known it would be a bad idea to confront him about it but it wasn’t easy to stand by and watch her boy fall more deeply in love with Harry every single day, knowing there was the possibility for him to get hurt by it.

She had always loved Harry as if he were her own son but after Harry had left for London, she had seen the way it had affected Louis. He had pushed her away at first, refusing to talk about it and surrounding himself with pack. She, in turn, had given him space. Eventually, Louis had started to talk about Harry again, bits and pieces, here and there. It hadn’t escaped her notice that most of the things he mentioned were memories from their shared childhood. 

“How’s he finding London, then?” she had asked her son once, a few months after Harry had moved to the city.

She would never forget the way Louis’ smile dropped off his face and how, just as she was on the verge of changing the topic, he had murmured, “He hasn’t called me yet. I…I’m sure he must be busy though. With the…with settling in and stuff.”

Jay had never mentioned it again and, when Louis stopped bringing Harry’s name into conversations, she had figured he was over his childhood crush.

And then, Harry had returned, bringing his child with him. 

The first time Jay had seen Dex, she had been struck by how much like Harry he looked. Except for the eyes. Those, she assumed, were from his mother’s side. The child was delightful so she could understand why her son had gotten so attached to the boy in such a short time but it also terrified her. 

She had seen the way Louis had suffered when Harry had left the first time. How would he handle it if Harry _and_ Dex left at some point in the near future? Not even the pack, she suspected, would be able to put him back together again. 

Jay’s eyes moved to the framed photos on the mantelpiece, fixing on the one of the dark-haired woman. It wasn’t the first time Jay had wished she could speak to Anne Styles once more. 

Anne had always been a source of support to Jay, having raised Harry all by herself since her husband’s untimely demise. She wished she could sit down with Anne again, sipping on sugar-sweet tea and laughing about the boys antics. Most of all, she wished Anne was here to reassure her, as she had done all those years ago when Louis and Harry had still been children.

_  
“Louis’ grown so attached to the pack,” Jay murmured, watching her twelve year old son annoy Harry as the wolf tried to finish his homework in the backyard._

_Jay had told Louis to cut it out and let Harry have some peace and quiet but the older boy had grabbed Louis’ arm before he could move away and told Jay it was fine._

_“I’m used to Lou bugging me,” the wolf had said with a shrug._

_“I don’t bug you, you liar,” Louis had immediately retorted, plopping himself down on Harry’s lap and scattering the papers he had been working on, “I provide you with entertainment. You’d be lost without me!”_

_How Harry didn’t lose his patience with the boy was beyond Jay but the werewolf just rolled his eyes and adjusted Louis until he was curled up against his chest._

_“Shut up and take a nap,” Harry had growled but the words lacked any true heat._

_For just a second, Jay thought Louis might actually listen but the peace only lasted a moment before her son grabbed a sharpie and started doodling on Harry’s arm._

_The werewolf bore it with the patience of a saint._

_“I worry sometimes,” Jay continued, glancing at Anne, “What’s going to happen when Harry grows up and moves away? Louis barely has any friends outside of pack members.”_

_None, Jay thought to herself. Her son had no friends outside of the werewolves._

_“Being in a pack’s not like being in a school club, Jay,” Anne replied, the words spoken with a smile but with an edge of steel to them, “Louis’ pack. He always will be. Whether Harry’s here or not.”_

_“I suppose,” Jay conceded._

_“But I wouldn’t worry about Harry moving away,” Anne added, a smile on her lips, “The only way he’d leave this town for good is if he could take Louis with him.”_

_Jay gave her a surprised look._

_She lowered her voice as she enquired, “So…Louis’ not the only one with a crush then?”_

_Anne laughed, glancing over at the pair. Louis appeared to be braiding Harry’s hair, which the wolf was growing out, and Harry had closed his eyes, tilting his head in whichever direction Louis commanded._

_“No,” Anne smiled, “Louis’ definitely not the only one with a crush.”_

_“Childhood crushes rarely last,” Jay said, sympathetically, “He’s going to be gutted when Harry starts dating someone.”_

_Anne had looked at her then, a knowing twinkle in her eye._

_“Oh, I don’t know about that,” she smirked, glancing back towards the now bickering boys, “It depends on who he chooses to date.”  
_

Jay had once asked Anne what made her so certain about Harry and Louis.

“I just have a feeling they’re meant to be,” Anne had replied with a smile, “Call it a mother’s intuition.”

And, despite Jay’s initial scepticism, she had eventually believed the werewolf. Because, even as children, it had always been Harry and Louis against the world. It was something both her and Anne had considered to be inevitable; that their children’s steady friendship would become something more as they grew older. Now though, Jay wasn’t so sure.

“What if we were wrong, Anne?” Jay whispered to the photo of the Alpha, “What if they aren’t meant to be?”

 _You worry too much!_ Jay could almost picture Anne laughing at her, her eyes bright and confident.

Harry, Jay thought absently, had inherited his mother’s eyes.

And perhaps she did worry too much but that was what mothers did. 

“I’m sorry,” Jay murmured to Anne’s photo, “But you weren’t here when Harry left. You didn’t see what it did to Louis. I can’t just stand back and watch my son get his heart broken again.”

Jay turned away from Anne’s picture. She had a feeling that if the Alpha were here, she would be disappointed in her lack of faith.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Louis pushed back the emotions his conversation with Jay had elicited as he walked towards the car that was parked across the road.

As he got closer, he saw that it wasn’t Jesy in the driver’s seat. Louis mentally berated himself for not having expected this. In hindsight, he really should have known.

“Let’s get this over with then,” Louis muttered to himself as he opened the passenger side door.

“Louis Tomlinson.”

Louis gulped. He could count on a single hand the number of times Harry had said his name in that tone. Hearing his full name on Harry’s lips was never a good sign. 

“You have some explaining to do.”

Louis slipped into the car and closed the door behind him.

“So,” he chuckled nervously, glancing at the Alpha, “On a scale of one to ten, how much trouble am I in?”

“Depends,” Harry replied, tone even, still not making eye contact, “What’s ten on your scale?”

“Um…ten would be that time when I wanted to find out if vampires were real…”

“I remember that,” Harry hummed, “You camped out in that clearing all by yourself and cut your finger to see if the blood would lure them to you.”

“Yeah,” Louis winced at the memory, “You were furious. So was your mum.”

“You were lucky to have escaped with your life,” Harry growled back, “Vampires don’t take kindly to their territory being invaded by bleeding humans.”

“Exactly! Keeping this secret from you is a minor misdemeanour compared to that, right? I didn’t even get hurt this time!”

“But you _could_ have,” Harry turned to look at him then and his green eyes were blazing with both anger and power, “A supernatural creature has been running around committing murders and you thought the smartest thing to do was to keep it a secret from me and half the pack?”

Louis bit his lip. It was always hard to reason with Harry when he was this angry. And yes, he had a reason to be but Louis had only been looking out for him and Dex.

“You had enough on your plate without having to worry about this as well,” he tried to explain, “And Alpha Montgomery just told us to keep an eye out for a threat. I didn’t realise it was this serious until now.”

“I know,” Harry huffed out.

Louis waited but the wolf didn’t add anything further.

“Um, okay. Then why are you still mad at me?”

“I’m not,” Harry frowned, “But at the same time, I am!”

Louis blinked at him, waiting for him to elaborate.

“I’m fucking pissed off that you kept this a secret from me,” Harry continued, “But my wolf isn’t. It… _I_ respect your choice.”

“Huh?” Louis asked, taken aback.

“You’re-” Harry paused, rephrasing, “You have the right to make decisions regarding the pack and that’s what you did. You made sure the Betas trained more. You prepared them for a potential threat as much as you could, which is exactly what an Alpha should do. In terms of the pack, you did the right thing and I’m…I’m proud of you for that. For taking care of our pack.”

Louis could feel his cheeks turning red but Harry carried on.

“It was a tough call to make but you did what you believed to be right. You followed your instincts.”

“But…?” Louis prompted, knowing there was more. 

“But I’m angry because I hate having secrets between us. I just…I want to be there for you, Lou, and I can’t do that if you decide not to tell me things.”

Louis nodded and looked down at his lap. His guilt at having kept this from Harry, intensified.

“I’m not trying to make you feel guilty,” Harry’s voice softened, “Like I said, you had the right to make that call. And…sometimes, secrets are necessary when you’re trying to protect someone. I understand that. But next time something life-threatening comes along, I would really appreciate it if you discussed it with me so we can decide on a course of action together.”

“I can do that,” Louis agreed.

He glanced down at his backpack and decided he may as well come clean about everything while he was at it.

“No more secrets,” Louis murmured, pulling the notebook out and handing it over to Harry, who took it with a confused look.

“Open it,” Louis prompted. 

Perhaps he should have expected it but Harry’s claws sliding out still took him by surprise.

“Haz-”

“It’s _magic_!” Harry snarled, glaring at the page with Louis’ picture on it, “We have to destroy it!”

“No!” 

It was only Louis leaning over and laying his hand on the book that prevented Harry from tearing it to shreds.

“Louis,” Harry gritted out through his teeth, “Magic is dangerous.”

“We don’t know for sure that it’s magic,” Louis argued.

“Unless you’ve suddenly developed the artistic abilities of da Vinci, I’m pretty fucking sure it’s magic!” Harry snapped back.

“It helps me,” Louis confessed and, at Harry’s look of utter confusion, he expanded, “It calms me down and it stops the tiredness. Besides, Alpha Corden said it had been sitting in his bookshelf for years and it never caused him any trouble.”

Louis only realised after he’d said the words that he had never actually mentioned the bouts of tiredness to Harry.

“Explain,” Harry’s gaze burned into his, eyes flashing dangerously.

Louis took a deep breath and started talking. He explained it as best he could. Harry listened quietly as he spoke about the strange electric sensations he had been feeling and how he had thought it was his imagination at first but it had kept happening.

“When do you normally feel it?” Harry asked, a frown on his face.

Louis thought about it.

Other than this morning, the last time it had happened had been two days ago. Nick had stolen his spot on the couch and Louis had, jokingly, pushed him. Much to his surprise, Nick had actually gone flying off, landing on the carpet with a muffled groan.

“Shit! Sorry!” Louis had immediately rushed to offer him a hand but Nick had just winked and said, “The strength of an Alpha, eh?”

That was when Louis started to suspect that the strange sensations he occasionally felt in his palms were something else. Something powerful enough for the Betas to think he had suddenly developed some sort of Alpha strength.

“Mostly when I get frustrated about something,” Louis finally stated, “But it’s never happened with anyone outside of the pack.”

Harry bit his lip in thought.

“I’ve never heard of anything like it,” he said, slowly, “I mean, it might just be the bon-”

He cut himself off, suddenly shifting his gaze away from Louis and, before Louis could question him, continued to talk, “But I think the best option is to call Alpha Montgomery. Her brother has…well, had this book of legends. When I was little, he used to tell me that all legends stem from some version of the truth.”

“I’ll give her a call,” Louis said.

Before he could say anything more, he felt Harry’s hand slide over the nape of his neck.

“Hazza?” he started to ask as the Alpha pulled him closer, leaning over the centre console to bury his face against Louis’ hair.

“Perrie said the killer’s…that their next target is you,” he whispered the words, nuzzling Louis’ hair “Lou, if something happened to you, I-”

“I know,” Louis pulled back and cupped Harry’s cheek, “And I’m not going to make empty promises and say everything’s going to be okay.”

Harry’s grip on Louis tightened, the wolf barely holding back a protective growl.

“But if we figure out who this killer is and what they want, we’ll be able to stop them before any more lives are put in danger.”

“What if they’re just killing for fun?” Harry asked.

“I don’t think so. Perrie told you about the pattern, right? That the ages of the victims are chronological?”

“She mentioned it,” Harry said, “But I was more focused on the fact that you were the most likely target.”

Louis pulled away from the werewolf with a fond sigh.

“I’m not saying I don’t appreciate you looking out for me,” Louis continued, “But there’s more important things at stake. My safety is one concern, sure, but what’s the main motive behind the killer’s actions? It’s too strategic and well-planned for there not to be one.”

“My guess would be that they want to weaken the pack,” Harry stated, a grim look in his eyes, “To weaken me.”

“Okay, so say they kill me. They weaken the pack and you, temporarily,” Louis thought out loud, “But how does that help them in the long-term? It might take the pack a few weeks, months at the most, to recuperate but you’ll eventually learn to operate without me. I may have taken on the role of Alpha but I’m still just human. What’s the point in killing-”

“ _Don’t_ ,” Harry growled and…shit! Were those fangs at his neck?

“H..Hazza?” Louis breathed out because Harry was partially-shifted, eyes glowing silver as he breathed against the skin of Louis’ neck.

Louis had never been afraid of Harry’s wolf form but now, his heart was racing. His hands, instinctively, reached up to stroke Harry’s hair.

“You’re not _just_ anything,” Harry stated, voice bordering on a growl of command, “Stop saying that! You’re pack, you’re family, you’re-”

Harry cut himself off, clearly battling with his inner wolf.

“You can’t just joke about getting killed!” he finally snarled out, “You _can’t_!”

“I just meant-”

Louis abruptly stopped talking when he felt Harry nip lightly at his neck in warning. It was a sign that his wolf was in charge, that it needed Louis to stop challenging him. It wasn’t something Harry did very often to Louis…at least, not anymore. As a child, it had been Harry’s favourite way of making Louis shut up, especially when he had been annoying him. Anne had witnessed it once and she had pulled her son aside, sternly telling him that it was not an acceptable way to communicate. 

Harry hadn’t done it much since then, only when he became really agitated. Louis had never minded and it still sent a rush of adrenaline through him; a burst of pleasure at having made Harry lose his tightly held control.

“Hazza-” Louis tried again, unable to help himself from wanting to push the boundaries a little.

It was part of his nature. The pressure of teeth on the soft skin at the side of his neck increased a fraction. It wasn’t intended to hurt but to caution; a non-verbal request for submission.

“Lou,” Harry said the words through gritted teeth, struggling against the deep-seated instinct that demanded he make the human submit; that he make him _understand_ , “Both of my parents were killed. I can’t lose you like that too. I _can’t_!”

And suddenly, Harry’s reaction made a lot more sense.

“Shit! Sorry,” Louis murmured, tilting his head to the side so his throat was exposed, waves of guilt flooding through him, “I wasn’t trying to upset you. I didn’t think of that.”

Harry made a pained whine, ducking down to nuzzle against the column of Louis’ throat. He only pulled back when his phone beeped with a message.

“It’s Liam,” Harry muttered with a roll of his eyes, “He’s wondering what’s taking us so long.”

Louis opened his mouth to speak but then thought better of it. He could tell that Harry was still upset. 

He expected the ride to the Manor to be silent and uncomfortable but Harry suddenly blurted out, “It wouldn’t be temporary.”

“Huh?” Louis glanced at the Alpha, who was shifting back to human form, fangs and claws retreating.

“If…if anything happened to you, it wouldn’t be temporary. The pack wouldn’t… _I_ wouldn’t be able to just…move on.”

“Maybe not at first,” Louis reasoned, “But eventually-”

“Losing you would destroy me, Lou,” Harry stated and the tone was far too serious for Louis to attempt to turn it into a joke.

Harry started driving before Louis could think up an appropriate response. He didn’t really seem to expect one as he turned the radio on, letting the music wash over them as they headed towards the Manor.

Louis sat back in his seat and forced himself to calm down. Yes, he was still terrified about what the future held but at least he was no longer keeping secrets from Harry.

For a brief second he thought about his crush on the wolf; a crush that had started when he was seventeen and had only grown since. At least, Louis amended in his head, he was no longer keeping _life-threatening_ secrets from Harry. 

Like Harry had said- sometimes, secrets were necessary.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Louis barely got to greet the Betas and hug Dex before Harry was dragging him off to the kitchen, phone in hand. A growl from the Alpha had the rest of the pack retreating back into the living room. Louis understood the reason for it.

They couldn’t afford to scare the Betas anymore than absolutely necessary.

“Call Alpha Montgomery,” Harry stated, handing the phone to Louis with an obstinate look in his eye, “Ask her if she knows anything about this notebook.”

He eyed the book Louis was still holding onto with obvious mistrust. Louis sighed but didn’t argue the point. He was curious too.

He placed the phone on speaker so Harry could better hear the conversation and waited until Harry shut the door to ensure the room was soundproof and that the other wolves wouldn’t be able to hear a thing.

Sarah Montgomery picked up on the second ring.

“Alpha Tomlinson,” she greeted, her tone devoid of her usual cheer, “I assume you’ve heard the news?”

“Of the Corden pack’s Beta? Yes,” Louis answered, “It’s…horrible.”

“Devastating,” Sarah agreed, “I know what Alpha Corden must be feeling…it was his aunt, you know.”

Louis hadn’t known that. 

“Have your Betas found out anything else about the rogue pack?” Sarah asked, her voice showing a hint of desperation.

“We have a few theories. We think all the murders were committed by one individual, not a pack. We’re trying to figure out what supernatural creature may be behind it.”

He heard Sarah take a deep breath.

“When you find out who it is,” she stated softly, “I want you to let me know. They killed my brother. I want a chance at revenge. My whole pack does.”

“You’ll get it,” Harry said, loud enough for the phone to pick up.

“Is that…Alpha Styles?”

“Yeah,” Louis answered, “I forgot to mention, Harry’s back.”

“For good, I hope?” Sarah said, a motherly tone entering her voice.

“Yes,” Harry sounded confident when he replied, “I should never have left.”

Louis handed the phone to Harry, preparing to slip out of the kitchen to give him and Sarah some privacy. Being his mum’s best friend, Sarah had always held a motherly sway over Harry.

“I never did understand it,” Louis heard Sarah say as he reached the door, “But I’m glad you finally figured it out.”

Harry chuckled without any real humour behind it.

“I’m a bit late though, aren’t I?” he mumbled, “I fucked everything up. If I’d stopped denying the pull…if I’d just paid more attention to what my wolf was trying to tell me…”

“You’re paying attention to your wolf now. It’s never too late, Harry,” Sarah’s comforting voice answered as Louis reached the door.

“I…I need to ask you something about the bond,” were the last words Louis heard as he left the room.

He had no idea what Harry and Sarah were talking about but before he could reflect on it any further, a soft whine from the living room captured his attention. 

 

The sight that met Louis in the living room was anything but comforting. All the Betas looked drawn and nervous. Perrie and Aidan seemed to be taking turns at staring out the window, as if they expected someone to creep up on them at any minute. Niall was curled up on one end of the sofa, arms wrapped around himself. Jesy was at the other end, holding and rocking Dex in an attempt to comfort him.

The toddler had picked up on the tense and anxious atmosphere of the werewolves around him and had started to whimper. 

Liam looked composed but the way his hand was clutching Zayn’s told Louis that he was barely holding it together for the sake of the rest of the pack. Zayn was pouring over a large, leather-bound book, face taut with exhaustion and worry.

All of them turned their gazes towards Louis when he entered the room. Dex slipped out of Jesy’s lap and ran over to Louis, whimpering, “Ma?”

Louis picked him up and held him close, letting the familiar and comforting feel of the child calm him. He knew the Betas were terrified. They were used to dealing with threats but it was a different story when they weren’t sure what or who the threat was. 

“Alpha,” Liam was the first one to speak, eyes troubled, “I sent Cara and Nick to do a perimeter run, just to make sure that no one’s entered our territory. They should be back soon.”

Louis nodded and gave Liam a tired smile. This was the reason Liam was their most trusted Beta.

“Thank you, Liam. We appreciate it,” Louis murmured to the wolf, noting that despite the worry in his eyes, Liam still glowed at the praise.

Zayn cleared his throat, stepping forward to speak.

“I’ve been searching through different books. So far, all I’ve found in terms of the…uh.. _method_ used by the killer, is that mermaids can freeze liquids.”

“You think the killer’s a mermaid?” Aidan asked, incredulous.

“Probably not,” Zayn winced, “Mermaids can only use their powers when surrounded by water. None of the victims were near large bodies of water so…” he sighed, giving Louis an apologetic look, “Sorry. That’s not much help, is it?”

“Of course it is!” Louis answered, “It means we can now eliminate mermaids from our list of potential suspects. Every bit of information we get, no matter how small, will add up.”

Zayn nodded back, encouraged.

“I’ll keep looking,” he said, grabbing the book he had been flicking through and heading towards the Manor’s library.

“I’ll help,” Perrie added, easily catching up with Zayn.

Louis watched with pride as the rest of the Betas planned out what they could do to increase the safety of their territory. Liam was well on his way to drawing up a new schedule, making the patrol times more frequent.

“Alpha,” Niall’s voice was much quieter than usual when he spoke, “I..is what Perrie said true? Is the…the threat coming after you?”

Niall couldn’t seem to bring himself to say killer and that, more than anything else, showed Louis how scared their youngest Beta was.

All the wolves seemed to be collectively holding their breath as they waited for his answer. Louis sighed. A part of him wanted to lie to protect them but he knew they would pick up on it at once. Besides, pack was about trust and there was no one Louis trusted more than the people in this house.

“That’s our best guess, yeah,” Louis answered, softly, reaching over to run a hand through Niall’s hair.

The Beta leant into the touch, lip wobbling.

“B..but we’re gonna stop this thing before it can get to you, right?” Niall asked, seeking reassurance.

Louis shared a look with Liam, whose face was grim. 

“That’s the plan,” Louis replied, forcing fake cheer into his voice for Niall’s sake.

“Down,” Dex suddenly spoke, startling everyone, “Ma, down!”

Louis placed the boy on the ground and watched in astonishment as he walked up to Niall. Dex reached out and patted the Beta’s cheek comfortingly, in a gesture that was similar to the one Louis often did, before murmuring, “Ni, hug?”

Niall made a soft sound, a mixture between a giggle and a whine, as Dex clambered into his lap, wrapping his small arms around the wolf. Louis watched as Niall sunk into the embrace, nuzzling against the younger boy’s hair and gratefully accepting the comfort of pack that had been offered. 

Louis felt a flare of pride flow through him as he watched the way Dex comforted Niall. For werewolves, pack dynamics was an instinctive part of their nature but for humans, even those who had grown up around werewolves, it was a skill that had to be learnt. Dex was clearly learning fast.

“That’s so unfair!” Jesy suddenly stated, causing Louis’ gaze to move to her.

The Beta was pouting, staring at Dex and Niall with narrowed eyes.

“He said Niall’s name first! How come he didn’t say mine? I spend more time with him!”

Louis bit back a laugh but the rest of the pack weren’t as kind, all snickering into their hands. It cut the tension in the room, however, which Louis was grateful for.

“He’s still learning to speak, love,” Louis tried to pacify Jesy, “Most of the time, he’s just making random sounds. It probably just sounded like Niall’s name.”

“Ni!” Dex said again, patting the blonde wolf’s cheek.

He turned to give Louis a pointed look. “Ma! Ni!”

“Sheesh! Alright! You know how to say Niall’s name.”

Dex gave him a dimpled smile, clearly happy that the latest addition to his vocabulary had been acknowledged. Jesy pouted harder and Niall grinned, nuzzling Dex’s cheek.

Louis glanced at the wolves standing around the room and noticed that all of them wore a wistful expression. He made an executive decision.

“You know what? I think Dex is onto something. Let’s have a group cuddle.”

Louis sat down on the floor, his back against the sofa. He expected resistance and scoffs but he had barely opened his arms before the Betas ran towards him. In a matter of seconds, he found himself being hugged by various people. There were a few groans and growls as the wolves settled themselves into comfortable positions, jostling at each other to be the one who was closest in proximity to Louis. 

Dex and Niall seemed content to stay curled up behind him on the sofa. 

Louis smiled to himself as the pack scented him. 

For the first time since Perrie’s disturbing phone call that morning, he felt the cold fear in his heart thaw a little. Yes, there was a threat out there that they had yet to identify but, surrounded by the comfort of pack and home, Louis felt a new sense of confidence grow in him. Whatever the future brought, they could face it together. Of that he was sure.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The group cuddling session had only gone on for about ten minutes when Harry came into the room. 

“She doesn’t know anything about the notebook,” he told Louis, a worried frown on his face, “But she said her brother, George, has left something for you in his will. She’s sending it over with one of her Betas.”

Louis knew his eyes had widened in surprise.

“F..for _me_? Are you sure?”

He had only met George once, when he had accompanied Harry and Anne to the Montgomery pack’s territory for the summer. 

“He used to ask about you whenever he called Mum, always told her how lucky we were to have you in our pack,” Harry said, giving Louis a smile, “He once joked that he’d be happy to offer you a place in the Montgomery pack if you wanted a change of scenery.”

Louis raised an eyebrow as he saw the way Harry’s face had suddenly darkened at the memory.

“And what did you tell him in response?”

“That you already had a pack,” Harry answered without missing a beat.

Louis was about to probe him further when the front door opened, revealing Cara and Nick. 

“We couldn’t find any unusual scents,” Cara told them with a shrug, “Whatever this killer is, they haven’t entered our territory yet.”

“Let’s keep it that way,” Liam growled, gaze moving to the window again.

“I spoke with Alpha Montgomery,” Harry announced to the pack at large, catching everyone’s attention, “She doesn’t think we need to worry about the threat until after the blue moon.”

“Why?” Nick asked with a frown.

“Because any supernatural being knows not to launch an attack on a pack of werewolves when we’re at our strongest,” Jesy was the one who answered.

“Exactly,” Harry gave the Beta a smile and Jesy grinned, clearly pleased to have gained her Alpha’s approval. 

“Our senses are going to become even more heightened in the lead up to the blue moon,” Harry continued, “Our bonds and ties to each other and the land we live on are going to be at their strongest. No creature, especially not one who has successfully killed pack members in the past, would be idiotic enough to try and attack us during that time.”

“So we’re all safe until after the blue moon run then,” Niall summed up.

He was holding Dex, who seemed to have fallen asleep with his head resting against Niall’s chest. 

“Yeah,” Harry confirmed, his gaze finding and holding Louis’, “We should be but I’m not taking any chances.”

Louis nodded, understanding what Harry was suggesting without him having to voice it.

“We’re going to add some new pack rules,” Harry told the Betas, who groaned but still paid attention.

“Just until the killer is caught,” Louis placated them.

“Right,” Harry nodded, “First of all, no one leaves the Manor by themselves anymore. If you need to go somewhere, you take at least one other person with you.”

The wolves nodded.

“Secondly,” Harry continued, “I don’t want anyone leaving our territory until the killer is apprehended and dealt with.”

He didn’t need to explain why. Every member of the pack knew that an Alpha’s instincts went into overdrive when the pack was threatened in any way.

“Thirdly,” Louis chimed in, “Someone needs to be with Dex at all times. He can’t be left alone, especially since he’s not old enough to protect himself…”

Louis trailed off. Just the thought of something happening to Dex was enough to make his heart skip a beat. 

“Agreed,” Harry said, eyeing each of the Betas in turn, “Whoever is on babysitting duty- make sure you have an eye on him at all times.”

“What if we need to use the loo?” Niall asked, his face completely serious.

“Take him with you,” Harry growled, “Or make sure he’s with another pack member.”

“Got it,” Niall nodded, filing away the instructions.

Louis had no doubt he would follow it to the letter.

“Liam,” Harry turned to face the wolf, who perked up at once, “I need you to make a roster. I want someone guarding Louis at all times.”

“Wait, what?!” Louis scrambled up, ignoring the whines of the Betas that wanted to keep cuddling, “I don’t need a bodyguard! Is this because I’m human?”

“No,” Harry gave him a look that seemed to suggest he should know better than that, “It’s because you’re the main target.”

“But you just said that we’ll all be safe until after the blue moon,” Louis protested.

“I’m sure we will be,” Harry answered, “But I’m not going to chance it, Lou. Not when it comes to you.”

Louis glared at Harry, stubbornly, but the wolf didn’t even blink. 

“It’s not fair!” Louis finally burst out after the staring contest had lasted for a few, long, tense seconds.

A small part of his mind noted that the Betas were slowly trickling out of the room, giving him and Harry privacy for what was gearing up to be a fight. 

“Louis,” Harry growled softly, warningly and…fuck! 

It shouldn’t sound as sinful as it did but Louis couldn’t stop himself from shivering slightly at the tone. Still, he had an argument to win!

“I’m sick of everyone treating me like I’m made of fine china!” Louis hissed at the wolf, taking a step closer, “The Betas, my mum, you. I get that you’re terrified something’s going to happen but I can take care of myself!”

Louis paused to take a breath but, before he could continue, he found himself being reeled in by a hand on the nape of his neck. Harry’s other arm came around him, holding him firmly by the hip. Harry tugged at the ends of his hair, forcing Louis to look up at him.

“I know you can,” Harry’s voice was soft, at complete odds with the way he was gripping Louis, “I know you’re capable of taking care of yourself, Lou. You’ve been doing that since the day I met you.”

Harry’s hand slid into his hair, smoothing over the brown locks.

“But the thing is,” he continued, green eyes never leaving Louis’, “You don’t have to. You’re a part of this pack; an important, valuable part. You remember what my mum used to say?”

Louis sighed. He knew what Harry was referring to.

“Pack means unity,” he mumbled, quoting Anne’s favourite mantra, “Pack means protection.”

“Precisely.”

“I still don’t need bodyguards,” Louis muttered but even he could tell that he sounded like a petulant child.

Harry’s lips quirked up but he didn’t laugh. Instead, he leant down, a breath away from Louis and murmured, “Then do it to indulge me. Please?”

Louis’ breath hitched. Harry was looking at him like…like he…

“Hazza,” Louis rasped out and something about this moment felt important. Monumental.

He swayed closer, aware of the way Harry’s grip on him had tightened, as if he were afraid Louis would disappear if he let him go.

“Lou,” Harry whispered back, “Do you understand yet?”

“I…” Louis paused, unsure.

Harry whined softly and stepped back, letting go of his grip on Louis. 

“What?” Louis blinked up at him because…no. That’s not what he wanted at all!

“I can’t…” Harry huffed out a breath, running a hand over his face.

Louis wasn’t entirely sure why his heart suddenly plummeted.

Harry seemed to sense the change for his gaze moved back to Louis, hands reaching out to squeeze the younger man’s shoulders.

“Louis,” he said, softly, pleadingly, “You need to figure it out.”

“Figure what out?” Louis was getting tired of the cryptic messages, “At least give me a clue!”

Harry bit his lip.

“Do you remember when I was thirteen and Mum made me study all those books on pack dynamics?” he asked, voice soft but serious.

Louis nodded. 

“I remember you whining about how boring it was,” he said, grinning at the memory.

“Yes, well,” Harry huffed out a laugh, “There was one book in particular on pack bonds. You used to flick through it sometimes.”

“Yeah, I vaguely remember,” Louis answered with a frown, “What does that have to do with anything?”

“In it, there was an entire chapter on certain… _connections_ between pack members.”

“Connections?” Louis was getting more confused by the second, “Like…between Alphas and Betas?”

“That’s one type. There are others as well. Some connections are stronger than others,” Harry cleared his throat, “That’s all I can say.”

“What am I supposed to do with that?” Louis glared at the wolf.

Harry shrugged, looking uncomfortable.

“You asked for a clue. I gave you one.”

“What kind of clue is-?”

His sentence was cut off by sudden growls erupting from the hallway. His eyes flicked up to meet Harry’s and, as one, they rushed out to see what the matter was.

As they neared the front door, they heard an irate sounding voice.

“Is this the way the Styles pack greets visitors? ‘Cause it isn’t very welcoming.”

“We don’t take kindly to unexpected visitors,” Cara growled back.

“I’m here on the orders of my Alpha.”

“Lachlan?” Louis pushed past Nick, Jesy, Aidan and Cara, who were stationed in front of the door, refusing entry to the Montgomery Beta.

“Louis!” Lachlan said his name with a sigh of relief but that only seemed to aggravate the Betas even more.

Nick actually reached out and grabbed Louis’ arm, pulling him back until he was hidden behind the wolf again.

“I don’t know how things are run in _your_ pack,” Nick spat out, eyes flashing with anger, “But in ours, we address our leaders with respect!”

Louis blinked at his Betas before craning his neck around to look for Harry. The Alpha didn’t seem bothered by the territorial display. In fact, he was giving Nick an approving smirk. 

Lachlan seemed to understand the reason behind the Betas’ behaviour for his face blanched and he bowed his head slightly, quickly saying, “My apologies. I didn’t mean to offend Alpha Tomlinson.”

Oh. Wait… _that’s_ what the growling had been about?

“Relax, will you?” Louis huffed out, ducking under Nick’s arm so he could greet Lachlan properly.

Lachlan smiled at him but didn’t move until Louis reached out to pull him into a hug. It only lasted for a few seconds before Harry’s growl ruined the moment.

“Is there a reason behind your visit?”

Louis turned to stare at Harry in surprise. Sure, Harry had never really been good friends with Lachlan but he had never been this cold or dismissive either.

“I’m delivering a parcel for my Alpha,” Lachlan answered, never breaking eye contact with Harry.

It lasted long enough for it to almost cross the line and be considered challenging.

“And,” Lachlan added, a deliberate smirk entering his face, “I was hoping to catch up with an old friend.”

His gaze moved to Louis, letting everyone know exactly which old friend he was referring to.

“Oh, um…” Louis scratched his arm, unsure how to respond.

“Here,” Lachlan interrupted whatever lame excuse Louis would have come up with by passing him a VHS tape in a case, “The Alpha said George left this for you in his will.”

“Th..thank you,” Louis whispered, running his hand over the case. 

He really wanted to watch it this very moment but that would have been rude. There was also the slight problem of him not owning a VHS player. Perhaps one of the Betas would have one.

“You don’t need to thank me,” Lachlan smiled at him, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder and ignoring the outraged growls that erupted at the gesture, “But if memory serves me right, you _did_ promise me something the last time we saw each other.”

It took Louis a few moments to remember.

“Oh! Um…yeah. I know I said we could go out for dinner but…well, right now’s not a very good time for me,” Louis replied.

“Really?” Lachlan took in the rest of the werewolves, all of whom were glaring at him, “Because I stopped by your house before I came here and your lovely mother informed me that you had no plans for the evening.”

Damn it!

“Y..you met my mum?” Louis asked. 

Apart from the members of his pack, Louis had never introduced his mum to any other werewolves.

“Yeah,” Lachlan chuckled, “She offered me tea and biscuits. She’s the one who told me I’d find you here.”

Lachlan gestured to the pack in general and Cara looked as if she were seconds away from lunging at him.

For a second, Louis felt a sense of anger towards his mum. Why was she interfering with his life? Louis wondered what Lachlan had done to charm his mother within seconds of meeting her. 

“Lovely of her,” he mumbled before glancing at the pack, all of whom were glaring at Lachlan.

“But see, the thing is…I’ve got this pack thing. She doesn’t know about it so…” Louis trailed off, hoping Lachlan would get the hint.

“Surely the pack can spare you for a few hours?” Lachlan coaxed, raising an eyebrow at the other werewolves as if daring them to disagree, “They can’t exclusively reserve _all_ of your time.”

“Wanna bet?” Aidan growled, eyes narrowed.

“You should go,” Harry’s voice cut across but, when Louis turned to look at him, he realised the words weren’t directed at Lachlan.

“W..what?” Louis asked, flabbergasted. 

Of all the pack members he thought would be against him going on a date with a neighbouring pack’s Beta, Harry had been a sure bet. But the Alpha was giving him an encouraging smile despite the outraged growls the other Betas were emitting.

“He’s right,” Harry barely glanced in Lachlan’s direction but the words sounded sincere enough, “You’ve been cooped up with us for too long. You deserve to have a night out without worrying about the pack, Lou.”

What was with everyone today? First his mum, now Harry…why did no one seem to accept that he was perfectly happy spending time with just the pack?

“I…” Louis sighed.

He couldn’t think of any more excuses to give and he wasn’t going to reject Lachlan with the entire pack watching. That would just be cruel. Besides, he thought with a spark of anger, Harry seemed eager to get rid of him for the night, regardless of what he himself wanted.

“Uh..I’ll just go and get changed then,” he mumbled to Lachlan, who nodded and gave him an eager smile.

The Betas moved aside to let Louis back into the Manor. Louis brushed past Harry, annoyed with the wolf for reasons he couldn’t explain. Behind him, he heard Nick say to Lachlan, in a falsely-polite voice, “You don’t mind waiting outside, do you? Great!”

The door slammed shut to Lachlan’s affronted growl.

“Louis!” Harry called out to him but Louis didn’t bother turning around.

He walked into the bedroom and nearly managed to slam the door shut behind him but Harry’s foot stopped it.

“Lou, don’t be mad at me,” the werewolf pleaded.

Louis glared up at him.

“What is it with people in my life making decisions for me?” he hissed and, if he were a werewolf, his eyes would have been flashing, “First my mum! Now you?”

Harry stepped back as if he had been slapped.

“I…Lou, I never meant to-”

“I’m an adult,” Louis fumed, “I have the right to make my own choices and not have them forced on me for everyone else’s convenience!”

Harry looked devastated but Louis was too busy venting out his rage to notice.

“Maybe the killer won’t attack until after the blue moon but I should be here trying to figure out who this person is and looking at possible motives and-” he cut himself off, biting his lip, “Fuck, I’m terrified.”

He felt a hand land on his shoulder, the touch hesitant in a way Harry’s never was. Louis glanced up at the werewolf, confused.

“I’m so, so sorry, Louis,” Harry said, softly, “I never meant for any of this to happen, I swear.”

“It’s not your fault,” Louis mumbled, turning away from the wolf and heading for the wardrobe, “And maybe you’re right. I need to relax and take my mind off all this. How bad could a date with Lachlan be, right?”

“Date?” Harry voice was a quiet whisper.

“Mhm,” Louis was only half-paying attention to the werewolf, “Do you think shorts are appropriate dinner-wear?”

When he glanced back at Harry, he saw something flicker over the wolf’s face but it was gone before Louis could figure out what it was, replaced by a smooth mask of indifference.

“Right. Date clothes it is,” Harry walked past Louis, reaching into the wardrobe and pulling out a pair of loose trousers, “Can I…do you want my help or would you rather I left?”

Louis frowned at him.

“Obviously I need your help,” he told the Alpha, “If I ask the Betas, I’ll be here for hours!”

Harry didn’t smile at the words the way Louis had expected him to.

“Try these on,” the wolf said, glumly, passing over an outfit.

Louis grumbled but did as Harry commanded. He glanced at himself in the mirror when he was done.

“These look like a hand-me-down P.E uniform,” he muttered, pulling the top off again and shimmying out of the trousers.

“Yeah, that’s…” Harry swallowed and glanced away, reaching for another outfit.

“This one’s perfect for you,” Harry insisted, passing it over to a doubtful Louis, “And it goes great with this shirt.”

The jeans were tight but also, a bit too long. Louis shrugged and rolled up the hems. The shirt Harry had pushed into his arms was made of a silky material in a midnight-blue shade. Louis remembered Perrie and Zayn buying it for him for his seventeenth birthday. They had insisted he wear it to the club and he remembered feeling sexy and confident when he had it on.

He got the same feeling now, especially when he turned to ask Harry for his opinion and saw that the werewolf was already staring at him.

“Think he’ll like it?” Louis asked, half-joking but the moment he said the words, he wished he hadn’t because Harry’s face closed off.

“What’s not to like?” the wolf muttered.

“Uh..alright then. I’m just gonna…” Louis pointed towards the door.

“Louis,” Harry’s voice made him turn back to face the wolf, whose hands had clenched into fists by his side. 

More alarmingly, his eyes were starting to waver between his normal shade of green and the silver flashes of the wolf. 

“Hey,” Louis instinctively reached out for the Alpha, brushing his fingers across Harry’s wrist in an attempt to soothe and ground him to the present, “Are you still with me, Hazza? You okay?”

Harry whined under his breath and then, taking Louis completely by surprise, yanked him in for a firm hug. 

“Sorry,” the wolf whispered in his ear, “I’m…trying to control it. It’s gonna take some time.” 

Before Louis could question the odd statement, Harry moved back and opened the bedroom door.

His eyes roamed over Louis once more before they shifted away, guiltily. 

“Go. Lachlan’s waiting.”

“I…right. Yeah, I should…” Louis trailed off, walking past Harry.

He felt as if something was wrong but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Whatever it was, Louis decided as the bedroom door shut and locked behind him, it could wait until after this dinner.

The Manor appeared almost empty as he walked towards the front door but he could hear the Betas whispering amongst themselves from somewhere in the kitchen. None of them stopped him as he opened the door and stepped out to greet Lachlan.

“You look great,” Lachlan complimented, his eyes lingering a trace too long on the tight jeans.

Louis tried not to show how uncomfortable he felt. 

“T..thanks,” he cleared his throat, wrapping his arms around himself, “Shall we head out then?”

He glanced back at the house but the Betas were still mysteriously absent. A feeling of unease swept through him. He had never left the house without saying goodbye to his pack before.

Lachlan opened the passenger seat of his car, holding it open for Louis to enter. Before he could though, he heard Zayn’s voice calling out to him.

He whipped his head around to see the wolf running towards him, a jacket in his hand.

“You forgot this,” Zayn told him, holding the jacket out insistently until Louis had no choice but to take it.

Zayn waited until Louis had shrugged it on before giving him a smile and jogging back up the driveway.

As Louis got into the car, he couldn’t help but wonder why Harry had seemed so upset. 

“I think you’ll love the place we’re going to for dinner!” Lachlan’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

“I can’t wait to see it,” Louis forced himself to give the wolf a smile and relax. 

He knew this was supposed to be a fun evening but, as they drove away from the Manor and the pack, a part of Louis wished he’d never agreed to this dinner at all!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter focuses on Louis’ date and some important elements of the mystery are explained. It's Christmas next month and comments are my favourite gifts so please leave one if you can <3 xx


	12. XII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had just finished writing this chapter when a friend called me to tell me the sad news. In the wake of a tragic and devastating death, all I can say is:  
> Rest in peace, Johannah. You will be forever missed by all those whose lives you touched, all those who were blessed enough to know you and all those who were lucky enough to know of you <3 xx
> 
> I didn’t feel up to editing this chapter as I normally do so I apologise for any and all mistakes.

Harry had made some idiotic mistakes in his life. This one had, quite possibly, surpassed them all.

“You shouldn’t have let him leave,” Nick pointed out, unhelpfully.

“It’s Louis’ decision,” Harry mumbled, hiding his face against Dex’s hair.

Dex was fussing, letting out soft cries and occasionally enquiring for, “Ma?” 

Harry held his son closer to his chest. It had only been half an hour since the man had left on his date but it was obvious that Dex was missing Louis already. It was nothing compared to how Harry was feeling. 

“But you didn’t even _try_ to stop him. In fact, you encouraged him to go out with that guy,” Aidan remarked.

“I didn’t realise it was supposed to be a date at first,” Harry groaned, “I just thought he could use an evening away from all this. With a..a friend.”

“No offence, Alpha, but you’re really oblivious at times,” Nick said.

Harry let out a warning growl but he couldn’t exactly dispute the claim, considering the circumstances.

“To be fair, the scent I picked up off the Montgomery wolf was definitely friendly,” Cara smirked, “ _Very_ friendly.”

Harry let out a low growl, lifting his head enough to glare at his Beta.

“You should just tell him the truth,” Perrie stated.

She and Zayn had emerged from the library a few minutes after Louis had left, only to see a dejected Harry attempting to calm a crying Dex.

“He…” Harry took a shuddering breath, “He knows. He figured it out.”

“What?” Zayn asked, giving Harry a confused look, “Are you sure-”

“Yes!” Harry snarled back.

All of the Betas’ winced, covering their ears. Dex’s cries turned into loud sobs.

“God! Sorry..I…sorry,” Harry rubbed a hand across his face, giving Jesy a grateful look when she tentatively approached and took Dex off of him. 

She started rocking the boy, soothing him as best she could.

“I just…” Harry took a deep breath.

“Alpha,” Perrie said softly, reaching out to place a comforting hand on his shoulder, “Start from the beginning. All we know is that you’re mates and you didn’t want us telling him.”

Harry sighed. His Betas had been incredibly accomodating of his request to not tell Louis. He owed them a proper explanation.

“We’re mates,” Harry began, ignoring the mutters of ‘obviously’, that came from his pack. “I felt a..a pull towards him when I turned eighteen. I think, in some ways, I’d always felt it but it amplified once I reached adulthood.”

“Why didn’t you tell him then?” Cara asked, gently enough that Harry didn’t feel the need to snap at her for probing.

“I couldn’t. He was only 14! It wouldn’t have been right. And his mum would have probably murdered me,” he paused before continuing.  
“I tried to ignore it at first. I figured it was just a crush and at that age, when Louis was practically still a kid, it was easy to convince myself of that. But then I…I left?”

This part came out as more of a question. He was starting to remember bits and pieces but other than saying goodbye to the pack before he left for London and a few, terrified nights huddling in caves with Dex, the rest was still a confusing blur.

“Yeah. You left,” Zayn confirmed, gesturing for him to carry on.

“When I came back, the moment I spotted him, I…I just wanted to…”

“Jump his bones?” Perrie suggested.

“Climb him like a tree?” Zayn offered.

“Do the horizontal tango in the sheets?” Niall asked.

Harry flashed his eyes at them and they subsided, grins still remaining on their faces. His pack sucked. He hated them all.

“Anyway,” he cleared his throat and pointedly moved on, “I suspected then that it was…that it had always been something more than a mere crush but I fought what my wolf was trying to tell me. It didn’t make any sense! Why would I have had a child with someone who wasn’t my mate? That’s not how it’s supposed to work! What my wolf wanted was selfish. I left Louis for two years and went to live with another pack. He deserved better than that, better than _me_! But then…”

Harry trailed off, closing his eyes.

“Then what?” Niall asked with a frown.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake! Surely you’re not _all_ this oblivious!” Aidan snapped out before Harry could explain.

“Who the fuck are you calling oblivious?!” Niall growled back.

Jesy hissed at them to mind their language, covering Dex’s ears with her hand.

“I just can’t believe none of you have put it together,” Aidan smirked smugly. 

“That’s rich coming from the last pack member to figure out they were mates!” Zayn growled back, grabbing Niall before the wolf could lunge at Aidan.

Aidan narrowed his eyes at Zayn.

“I’m not an idiot! I’ve suspected they were mates for years,” he replied and his heartbeat told every wolf in the room that he was telling the truth.

“But at training last week you said…well, you sounded shocked,” Cara pointed out.

“Yeah, because that’s when the last piece of the puzzle clicked into place,” Aidan was grinning now, “And I don’t think I’m the only one who knows.”

Liam cleared his throat guiltily, his face turning red.

“What?” Zayn turned to his mate, his glare accusing, “What’s going on Liam? What have you been keeping from me?”

“It’s not his fault,” Harry interrupted before his Betas could start an all-out war amongst themselves, “I told Liam and asked him to keep it a secret until…well. Until Louis figured it out.”

“And I’m just good at finding out secrets,” Aidan added, proudly.

Liam glanced at Harry and, at his subtle nod, turned to face the rest of the room.

“The Alphas…they’re not just mates,” Liam said, slowly, “They’re already bonded.”

“What?!”

A clamour of voices drowned out anything else Liam might have said.

“Alpha, what’s he talking about?” Cara finally managed to shout out, turning to glare at Harry.

Harry took a deep breath.

“It’s…complicated.”

When the Betas continued to stare at him, he sighed.

“I guess I owe you an explanation.”

The looks his Betas gave him clearly conveyed that yes, he owed them one hell of an explanation!

 

_  
It had been instinct. He didn’t realise what had happened until well after the fact. Until…until that day at Alpha James Corden’s._

_His wolf had come to the surface and the only thing his mind could focus on was the fact that they were in unfamiliar territory and that Louis wasn’t within touching distance. The need to scent had been too hard to resist and it was only when his wolf was certain that Louis’ entire attention was on him and not on the other Alpha, that Harry felt himself relax._

_A part of him noticed that James was quietly observing him but he was too busy covering Louis in his scent to care._

_However, right before they left, while Louis was settling an argument between the Betas on who got to take the front seat on the drive back, James pulled Harry aside._

_“He’s your mate,” James stated, an undecipherable look in his eyes._

_“I know,” Harry replied, his wolf preening at the fact that the neighbouring Alpha had acknowledged it._

_“But does **he** know?” Alpha Corden asked with a raised eyebrow._

_Harry hesitated for a second before shaking his head._

_“You need to tell him.”_

_“I know,” he answered, a tad defensively._

_He would. He just needed to find the right time and place to-_

_“Alpha Styles, you need to tell him soon,” James turned to give him a serious look, “Because you’ve both already bonded with each other.”_

_Harry blinked at the older Alpha, uncomprehending for a moment._

_“What? No, we haven’t. He doesn’t even realise that we’re-”_

_“He’s your co-Alpha, correct?”_

_Harry nodded._

_“And did you submit to him? Or he to you?”_

_Harry shook his head._

_“So, you both agreed to share the responsibilities of pack Alpha. You willingly changed the natural order of the pack hierarchy, promoted your mate to a rank of power that equals your own. Those are the standard steps to creating an-”_

_“Alpha deux,” Harry whispered the words before James could utter them, his mind supplying him with information on mate bonds that had been gathered from one of the old books his Mum had made him study._

_James nodded, his face grave._

_“An Alpha deux,” he confirmed, “The strongest and rarest mating bond. Many believe it’s nothing more than a myth that found its way into the history books. I’ve never seen any other mates who share such a connection. It’s rather an honour to have met you both.”_

_“But…but Louis never accepted that! He didn’t even consent to bonding! This can’t-”_

_“He did accept,” James interrupted, his voice turning gentle as he registered Harry’s panic, “Even if he may not have been consciously aware of it.”_

_“No, it can't be,” Harry shook his head, “I..I didn’t even realise. I should have felt something, shouldn’t I?”_

_James turned thoughtful, looking at Harry as if he were some sort of interesting specimen._

_“The Alpha deux bond requires physical touch to cement. You should have felt the bond clicking into place as the link between the two of you formed.”_

_Harry opened his mouth to deny any such thing having happened but his mind suddenly supplied him with a memory. There had been that day, shortly after Louis had become his co-Alpha when Harry had taken off his shirt to go to bed and Louis…he had reached out to touch the tattoo on Harry’s chest. The moment Louis’ fingers made contact with the ornate lettering, Harry had felt something pool at the pit of his stomach; something warm and powerful that made him shudder with a primal sort of need._

_His wolf had come to the surface but he had managed to catch hold of Louis’ wrist, moving the boy’s touch away from his skin before he ended up doing something he would regret. At the time, he had just thought it was the natural pull between mates._

_Harry’s silence seemed to supply James with an answer for the Alpha nodded, a small smile on his lips._

_“But Louis can’t have felt it,” Harry finally said, his voice hoarse, “He has no idea…fuck! He didn’t even agree to this!”_

_“He did, Alpha Styles.”  
James nodded towards the necklace Louis wore, the one that displayed the Styles family crest._

_“He accepted your pack’s emblem and he wears it with pride,” James explained, “When he agreed to take on the duty of being an Alpha, he also accepted the role of being your mate; of protecting your pack’s territory.”_

_Harry felt a hurricane of emotions swirl through him. There was joy there, and excitement but there was also fear and guilt._

_“He wouldn’t have realised what it meant,” he mumbled, “It was done on accident.”_

_James gave him a knowing smile._

_“It was done on instinct,” he corrected the younger wolf, “Alpha deux bonds require both individuals to be powerful figures with a depth of connection between them that far surpasses that of normal mates. There’s a reason it’s uncommon. Forging such a bond is impossible for the large majority of wolves, let alone a wolf and a human.”_

_“Louis didn’t get to make a choice,” Harry growled at James, “This isn’t fair to him! Can it…can we undo it?”_

_The Alpha shook his head, looking disappointed with Harry._

_“No. It’s permanent and irreversible. You and Alpha Tomlinson will remain bonded until one of you passes into the afterlife.”_

_Harry took a deep breath. Louis was joking around with Niall, Zayn and Liam, completely oblivious to Harry’s turbulent emotions. Or maybe, not so oblivious. He turned to give Harry a questioning look, the laughter in his eyes melting into one of concern._

_Harry forced himself to smile back, tamping down on his emotions. Now that he was aware of it, he could sense Louis’ relief through the bond and noticed the way his body relaxed as he turned back to the Betas._

_“He’s so young,” Harry murmured, just loud enough for James to hear, “I can’t ask him to give up his future, his whole life, out of duty to the pack or me.”_

_“Your bond isn’t a duty that needs to be fulfilled,” James told him with a frown, “It’s something beautiful and precious that needs to be cherished. You need to explain that to him-”_

_“I can’t,” Harry stated, his voice cracking, “I can’t tell him about this. He deserves the chance to make the choice for himself, without a bond factoring into it. If he chooses me…then I’ll tell him about the bond.”_

_James gave him a pitying look._

_“The bond would not have formed if he hadn’t been willing,” the older wolf emphasised but Harry was adamant._

_“It will cause you a lot of pain,” James finally cautioned, “If you decide to let your mate live his life without you by his side, if he inadvertently chooses someone else-”_

_“I can deal with it,” Harry said, firmly, “I’ve had worse.”_

_His hand unconsciously moved to the tattoo on his chest that Louis had touched, the incident that had triggered the Alpha deux bond into forming. He couldn’t remember how or when he had gotten it but for some reason, he associated it with pain and loss._

_“There are few things worse than the pain of a rejected mate bond,” Alpha Corden said, gravely, “I sincerely hope you know what you’re doing, Alpha Styles.”_

_James’ words made sense later that night, when Harry had dropped Louis off at his house. His wolf had whined as Louis walked away from him to enter his house and a sudden ache of loneliness spread through him._

_Now that he had been made aware of their bond, he could feel it thrumming through his blood, just under his skin; making itself known in such a way that it took all of his control to ignore it. And ignoring it **hurt**. His chest physically ached when he turned away from Louis._

_He had practically raced home to grab Dex before returning to Louis’, exhausted with fighting the pull he felt. When he had seen Louis and Dex hugging, he had finally given in._

_That had been the first night since his return that he had spooned with Louis, letting him hold onto Dex instead of placing his son in between the two of them as he usually did. If he couldn’t scent Louis as thoroughly as he wanted to, his wolf demanded the satisfaction of at least having his cub snuggle with his mate._

_And despite all his noble intentions, at the end of the day, Harry wasn’t strong enough to deny his wolf that one, small slice of happiness.  
_

 

“So, he’s still human, right?” Zayn broke the silence, giving Harry a wide-eyed look, “The bond isn’t going to change him into a werewolf.”

“No,” Harry shook his head, recalling what he’d learnt on Alpha deux bonds, “It just causes him to receive some of my Alpha instincts.”

“Is that why he can beat you in training?” Liam asked.

“It helps a little,” Harry murmured but he knew that it wasn’t the only reason.

Louis had the spirit of a fighter. _That_ was what caused him to be so good at training. Harry had asked Alpha Montgomery whether an Alpha deux bond would cause the sorts of sensations that Louis had complained about but, according to her, she had never heard of anything of the sort.

“It transfers some of your instincts to him,” she had said over the phone, “Things like an increased sense of hearing, a greater sense of smell. You might be able to feel strong emotions the other feels. And I’ve heard rumours that you can form a mind link, where your thoughts and memories can be shared with your mate. But a shocking sensation in the palms and tiredness? That doesn’t sound like a bond’s doing.”

“But Alpha,” Cara said, softly, interrupting Harry’s thoughts, “If he’s figured out you’re both bonded to each other, why did he go to dinner with the Montgomery Beta?”

Harry bit his lip in response. 

“No fucking way!” Nick growled, ignoring the way Jesy slapped her hands over Dex’s ears again in an attempt to prevent the toddler from hearing any more swear words, “Are you telling us that he chose _Lachlan_ over you?”

Harry felt the ache in his chest grow deeper. He clenched his fists as he answered Nick.

“Louis told me he didn’t appreciate people making decisions for him; that he didn’t want his choices forced on him. He doesn’t…I don’t think he blames me. I apologised and he said it wasn’t my fault but it is! My wolf is a part of me and it chose him as my mate. My wolf’s the one that accidentally formed an Alpha deux bond with him without giving him the chance to choose whether he wanted it…whether he even wanted to be mine.”

Harry chuckled to himself, devoid of any true humour, “He has every right to choose someone else. Someone who makes him happy. Someone he _wants_ to be with.”

Silence followed his words as each of the Betas absorbed this new turn of events.

Harry didn’t mean to sound bitter but the thought of Louis with that wolf (or any wolf really) made an ugly feeling of jealousy settle inside him. 

He wondered what they were doing right now. Was Lachlan wooing him with funny tales of the Montgomery pack? Was Louis giving the wolf one of his crinkly-eyed smiles or biting his lip to hold back his laughter? Was he, right at this moment, falling in love with the Montgomery Beta?

Another part of him also wondered if the jealousy would ever fade, if he would ever be able to be truly happy for Louis, if his wolf would ever stop regarding Louis as _his_. 

“Ma?” Dex whimpered sadly, fidgeting in Jesy’s arms.

Harry cleared his throat and got up from the sofa, walking over to Jesy. 

“I’m going to settle him in for a nap,” Harry mumbled, holding out his arms for his son.

He knew that every wolf in the room could tell it was just an excuse and he appreciated the fact that none of them called him out on it. He needed a few moments alone, to gather his thoughts, to push back the hurt and put on a happy face for when Louis came back, undoubtedly smelling like another werewolf.

Dex must have sensed some of Harry’s emotions for he started bawling, his cries loud and shrill. Harry raced up the stairs with him, comforting the toddler with soft growls.

It took over an hour for Dex to calm down. Harry laid down beside him on the bed, nuzzling the child’s wet cheeks as the boy’s cries lowered into hiccuping sniffles. 

“Ma,” Dex murmured sadly, rubbing his nose against Harry’s chest and blinking up at him with wide, confused eyes, “Mine.”

The child, Harry realised with a start, could sense the bond between him and Louis better than any of his Betas, perhaps because he was blood-related to Harry. That was why he was always so possessive around Louis, why he had clung to him from the get go. To Dex, Louis smelt like home and safety and pack. He smelt like _family_.

“It’s alright,” Harry lied, petting the cub’s curly hair, “He’ll be back soon.”

Dex frowned, apparently unsatisfied with the way Harry’s was petting his hair. He had no doubt that Louis’ way was better and more comforting to the toddler.

“Soon?” Dex asked again.

“Yeah, soon,” Harry answered and then, because he had never been good at lying, added, “Probably.” 

For a few seconds, he thought Dex would be satisfied by that but his son was more perceptive than he had expected.

“Dada,” he whispered softly after a beat, “Ma, stay?”

Harry let out a shuddering breath.

“I don’t know,” he finally murmured back, pulling his child closer, “I don’t know if he’ll stay with us, Dex.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Downstairs, the Betas were having a meeting. It was unusual for there to be a pack meeting without a pack Alpha present but Liam insisted these were extenuating circumstances.

“We’re not supposed to get involved,” Perrie reminded them all, “Remember how it turned out the last time we tried to set them up? The Alpha ended up sleeping with another werewolf!”

“I never did get that,” Nick mused, “Everything was perfect. The Alpha couldn’t take his eyes off of him on the ride over to the club. But then that wolf from the Swift pack showed up, batting her eyelashes and the next thing you know, our pack leader’s snogging her on the dance floor and his future mate is hammered!”

“That was different!” Zayn insisted, “We didn’t actively try to do anything. We just assumed their feelings for each other were mutual and tried to help nature take its course.”

“Not to mention, he was only seventeen at the time,” Jesy pointed out, “Most mates only recognise each other once they’ve both turned eighteen.”

“Besides,” Zayn continued, “I’m not suggesting we set them up again. I’m suggesting we talk to the Alpha. Explain to him why ignoring the Alpha deux bond and choosing Lachlan over his own mate is a bad idea.”

“Well, unless you have any brilliant ideas for crashing a date that won’t get us grounded, I don’t see how that’s possible,” Perrie muttered.

It took everyone by surprise when Liam casually said, “You know, the new pack rules state that the Alpha needs to be guarded by pack members at all times.”

It took a moment for the rest of the Betas to clue into what he was suggesting.

“And Lachlan’s not a member of our pack,” Zayn stated, a smirk entering his face as he caught onto Liam’s plan, “So, if a couple of us were to…oh, I don’t know… _drop in_ on their date, we’d really just be following the rules.”

“It wouldn’t be spying so much as…um, looking out for his safety,” Nick supported the idea, “Which is technically a part of our duties as Betas.”

“And we shouldn’t slack off on our duties,” Liam nodded in agreement.

Aidan, the oldest of all the Betas, gave Nick, Zayn and Liam a narrow-eyed look.

“I can’t believe you all,” he hissed, “The Alpha would _never_ approve of us spying on his mate!”

There was another moment of silence.

“But what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” Aidan added, nonchalantly.

And just like that, it was decided.

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The restaurant was nice. Fancy. Nothing like what he would have picked for himself. Louis tried not to show how uncomfortable he was as the waiter offered him a taste of some brand of expensive wine, waiting for his approval. 

“Uh…yeah. It’s good,” he said and the man gave him an approving smile before filling his and Lachlan’s glasses. 

“Louis,” Lachlan stated, taking a sip of his wine and making a face, “This tastes like shit.”

Thankfully, their waiter was now attending to another table and out of earshot.

“Oi! I never claimed to be a wine expert,” Louis hissed.

“Guess not,” Lachlan grinned, “I would have offered to taste it instead but you _are_ the Alpha.”

Louis rolled his eyes.

“You don’t have to call me that,” he mumbled, glancing awkwardly at the menu the waiter had left in front of him.

“I’m trying to get in the habit,” Lachlan answered with a chuckle, “Before your Betas decide to challenge me to a duel for disrespecting you.”

“They’re really not that bad,” Louis replied, wincing as he thought back to how rude the pack had been when Lachlan had arrived at the Manor, “We’ve just all been a bit on edge lately…but I apologise for the way they behaved.”

“No need,” Lachlan gave him an exaggerated wink, “They couldn’t keep me away from you if they tried!”

Louis forced himself to laugh but he didn’t think he’d managed to make it sound genuine. It’s not that Lachlan wasn’t a great guy to be on a date with, he just wasn’t a great guy for _Louis_ to be on a date with. His mind kept drifting back to Harry and the pack.

Were they having pizza and sitting around the telly? Was Dex alright? Would Liam remember to-

“Louis?” Lachlan was waving his hand in front of Louis’ face when he blinked himself out of his thoughts, “Where have you disappeared to?”

“Fuck! Sorry! I just…I was thinking about the pack and…”

“Hey, no. It’s cool. Being an Alpha’s gotta be tough,” Lachlan gave him an easy smile, “Uh, how’s the baby doing? Dan, was it?”

“Dex,” Louis answered, trying and failing to not be annoyed at Lachlan having gotten the toddler’s name wrong.

He had only met him once, Louis reminded himself. It was a natural mistake to make.

“He’s great, actually. He’s got a bunch of new words in his vocabulary and…”

For the next ten minutes, they spoke about Dex. Well, Louis spoke about Dex and Lachlan dutifully pretended to be interested. At one point, the wolf had to cover a yawn and Louis had to fight the rush of fury that went through him. Lachlan didn’t know Dex, he reminded himself. He had no idea how precious the little boy was!

After that, Louis let him talk for a while, mostly about his favourite movies and music and which celebrity he had a crush on. It was about halfway through the main course that Louis decided with complete certainty that he and Lachlan had nothing in common. At least, that’s what he would be telling his mum when she undoubtedly asked him how the date had gone. 

“I’m really glad I ignored my Alpha’s instructions,” Lachlan suddenly stated, pulling Louis from his thoughts.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Lachlan toyed with the stem of his wine glass, clearly regretting having brought it up.

“Just…do you remember how I used to come and spend the summers with you and Alpha Styles?”

Louis nodded. He had fond memories of those summers.

“The reason I stopped visiting was because my Alpha told me to stay away from you,” Lachlan mumbled the words.

Louis knew shock and surprise were written over his face. 

“Alpha Montgomery asked you to stay away from me?” Louis couldn’t stop the hurt from entering his tone, “Is it because I’m human?”

“What? No!” Lachlan shook his head, clearing his throat, “She’s just…old-fashioned and traditional. You’ve probably heard the stories of how every werewolf has a true mate, right? My Alpha believes that the love between mates is the only type of love that can last. She says you can’t tamper with fate. Ridiculous, if you ask me.”

Louis gave Lachlan a searching look. 

“You don’t believe in the concept of true mates then?”

“It’s not that I don’t believe in it,” Lachlan sighed, “I just think it’s not the only kind of love possible. I can date and fall in love with someone even if my wolf doesn’t think they’re my mate. It doesn’t _have_ to be pre-destined.”

“Isn’t that a bit…unfair to your mate?” Louis ventured, “Anne used to tell us that recognising your mate is the best feeling in the world. Indescribable and unforgettable.”

Louis thought about Liam and Zayn, how they had danced around each other for years and yet, how easily it had all fallen into place once they had both turned eighteen. The connection between them had always been there but it had strengthened when they became adults. They could be standing in a room full of people and yet, their gazes would always be drawn to each other. That kind of all-consuming love was what mates shared. Louis had always considered it a beautiful notion.

“I think that’s bullshit,” Lachlan stated, flippantly, “Maybe that’s how it is for born wolves but I was human for the first eight years of my life. It’s different for me. I don’t care about tradition the way the rest of my pack do. My Alpha just doesn’t get that.”

Louis bit his lip. The Styles pack had bitten wolves too but they still honoured the traditions and values of pack as much as the born wolves did. In fact, if you hadn’t grown up with them like Louis had, you wouldn’t be able to tell who was a born wolf and who was a bitten one.  
Hell, even Louis had been taught the social rules of the pack hierarchy! It wasn’t about whether you believed in it or not; it was about respecting the pack structure and maintaining a sense of unity between pack members. 

“Doesn’t it ever bother you?” Lachlan suddenly said.

Louis gave him a confused look. 

“The way your pack scent-marks you. Like, with that jacket. They treat you like you’re a wolf-”

“Wait, back up,” Louis held up a hand, “What do you mean, scent-mark me with the jacket?”

“That’s Alpha Styles’ jacket you’re wearing, right?” Lachlan pointed to the denim jacket Zayn had handed to Louis, “Because it reeks of his scent.”

And suddenly, it made perfect sense why the jacket had felt a tad bigger than normal. 

“That fucker!” Louis muttered under his breath but Lachlan must have heard it for he chuckled.

“You didn’t know?” he raised an eyebrow at Louis, “I’ve barely been able to get a whiff of your scent all night.”

It should have made Louis angry to know that Zayn had tricked him into wearing Harry’s clothes but…well. It actually made a feeling of warmth uncurl in his chest. He felt almost…protected by the thought of Harry’s scent wrapped around him, like a cloak.

“I grew up with the pack,” Louis cleared his throat, taking a sip of wine and hoping it would hide the way his cheeks had suddenly turned red, “They’re protective of me.”

“Because you’re human?”

Louis paused, thought it over.

“No. Because I’m theirs,” he said, “Their Alpha, their friend…and they’re mine. I don’t find scent-marking annoying. It’s just a normal routine for us.” 

From the look on Lachlan’s face, Louis could tell that he didn’t get it. It was hard to explain the feeling of safety and comfort that came with being scent-marked, even though Louis wasn’t a wolf. He had always considered it more a protective gesture than possessive. 

“Do I have to fight your pack to get the chance for a second date with you, then?” Lachlan jested but Louis caught the undercurrent of hope in the question.

Louis took a deep breath. Lachlan wasn’t a bad guy but it wasn’t fair to give him hope for something that Louis knew would never happen. He tried to break the news gently.

“Lachlan…look, this has been fun but…” he trailed off when his eyes caught sight of a group of familiar figures.

Louis’ mouth must have dropped open in shock because Lachlan followed his gaze, his own eyes widening in surprise.

“Are those…the Styles Betas?” Lachlan asked, unsure, staring at a table a few rows down.

Louis narrowed his eyes as he catalogued the four Betas that were currently trying (and failing) to look inconspicuous. 

“Yes,” he muttered, placing his cutlery down on his plate, “And they seem to have gotten themselves lost. Excuse me for a minute.”

He got up from the table and walked towards the Betas, all of whom were suddenly not making eye contact. Niall looked as if he wanted to dive under the table to avoid facing Louis.

“Alpha?” Zayn’s eyes widened and, if Louis didn’t know what a good actor the werewolf was, he would have honestly believed it was in genuine surprise, “What are you doing here?”

“ _I_ ,” Louis said with narrowed eyes, “Am having dinner with Lachlan. A fact you were all aware of.”

“Well, yes but we had no idea you’d chosen this particular restaurant!” Zayn answered, his face a perfect mask of surprise. 

“Yeah,” Liam nodded along, giving Louis his most innocent smile, “Funny how it works out, innit?”

“Hilarious,” Louis stated, flatly.

Liam opened his mouth but Zayn spoke again.

“Honestly, Alpha,” he said, “Liam and I are on a date. He made this reservation weeks ago!”

“I..I did, yes,” Liam nodded again, “It’s date night for us.”

“Uh huh,” Louis gave Liam and Zayn a pointed look before turning to face Niall and Nick, who were staring at the tablecloth with sudden interest, “What about you two then?”

“Oh, well. You see…” Nick stalled for time but Niall had clearly not been given a heads up for he blurted out, “We’re on a date too! A..a double date.”

From the sudden wince Niall let out, someone had clearly kicked him under the table.

“Really?” Louis glanced between Niall and Nick, “You think I wouldn’t have noticed if something were going on between two of my Betas?”

“Ah..funny you should say that…” Niall trailed off and Nick took over, plastering a charming smile on his face, “You didn’t notice because _this_ ,” he gestured between himself and Niall, throwing an arm around the blonde’s shoulders, “is a rather recent development.”

“How recent?” Louis asked, still suspicious.

“Like, five minutes ago recent,” Niall blurted out.

“Oh, for the love of god! Shut the fuck up,” Nick groaned.

“Oi! Fuck off yourself!” Niall shot back.

“What a loving relationship,” Louis muttered, drily.

Zayn gave up on the internal fight and facepalmed. 

Louis turned to Liam, their most loyal Beta. It only took five seconds of Louis giving him the ‘I’m disappointed in you’ look before the wolf broke.

“We were following the new pack rules,” he blurted out, ignoring the daggers Zayn’s eyes was throwing his way.

“What?” Louis stated, flatly.

“What he means is,” Zayn began but Nick took over.

“We know you’re angry with the Alpha-”

“And you have every right to be,” Zayn interrupted.

“-but you’re making a mistake,” Nick finished.

Louis blinked at them.

“I’m…confused. What mistake?”

“All of it!” Niall answered, gesturing behind Louis, “Choosing him!”

“What?” Louis frowned at the wolves.

“It’s your decision to make,” Zayn said, “And, as your Betas, we’d respect your choice but the Alpha is really sorry. He’s been a mess all evening. He didn’t mean to take your choice away and deep down, you must know that. You know he would never have done it without your consent on purpose.”

“We get it if you need time or space,” Liam added, “If…if you don’t want to be around him for a while but we’re just asking you to reconsider and to make your final decision when you’re not driven by anger.”

“Anger?” Louis repeated, confused, “Is this about me yelling at Harry?” 

Sure, he hadn’t liked being practically forced on this date with Lachlan by the Alpha but he wasn’t actually angry at Harry. Perhaps a bit…hurt by the wolf’s eagerness to set him up on a date. Still, what Harry did wasn’t half as bad as what his mum had done, sending Lachlan to the Manor and telling him Louis had no other plans for the evening. She had sent him a text as they had driven to the restaurant, telling him to ‘enjoy’ his date. Louis had deleted the text without a second glance. 

“We didn’t eavesdrop!” Nick hastened to explain, “The Alpha told us what happened.” 

“And we think you should reconsider,” Niall said, “You might think ignoring the bond and choosing the Montgomery Beta is the best idea right now but-?”

The clearing of someone’s throat interrupted Niall. 

“Um…is everything okay?” Lachlan asked.

The Betas glared at Lachlan until they caught Louis’ disapproving gaze. Then, they whined apologetically and started slouching off towards the exit.

Zayn hesitated, clearly wanting to say something more but Liam grabbed his mate’s arm and hauled him up to stand, “Enjoy the rest of your..um…night, Alpha.”

Louis nodded at them and turned back to Lachlan, giving the wolf an apologetic shrug.

“Sorry,” Louis told the werewolf, who was watching the Betas leave, “I genuinely have no idea what all that was about.”

“It’s fine,” Lachlan gave him a smile but this time, it looked forced, “I should probably head back anyway. I promised my Alpha I’d be in our territory before midnight. Let’s pay the bill and I’ll drop you off at your pack house.”

“Um, yeah. Sure,” Louis nodded, hoping his relief at their date ending wasn’t too obvious.

Once they had paid, Lachlan turned away from him and headed towards the car. Louis followed, unsure of what had happened but feeling a strong sense of something being wrong. 

 

The car ride back to the Manor was quiet and uncomfortable. Louis spent most of it staring out the window. A part of his mind was trying to figure out what the Betas had been talking about and whether it had anything to do with Harry’s strange behaviour earlier. Another part was trying to decide whether he should try and initiate conversation with the suddenly withdrawn Lachlan.

In the end, it was Lachlan who spoke first.

“Back at the restaurant,” he said, hands tightening on the steering wheel, “I couldn’t help but overhear the blonde one. He said you were making a mistake by choosing me.”

Louis sighed.

“I have no idea what Niall was talking about,” he answered, honestly.

“Don’t you?” And Lachlan sounded…scornful.

“No. I don’t,” Louis replied, running a hand through his hair, “I’m genuinely-”

“You’re really good at lying,” Lachlan scoffed, “I thought we were friends, Louis. I can’t believe you’d make a fool of me like this.”

Louis was more confused than ever at the wolf’s angry tone. “Excuse me? What did I…?”

“This _date_!” Lachlan growled, “I know I pressured you into it but I thought you were reluctant to go out with me because you were still hung up on Alpha Styles-”

Louis felt his heart thud in his chest. Was his crush on Harry obvious to _everyone_? 

“-and I thought he wasn’t interested in you because my Alpha told me he’d found his mate and I figured it was the wolf who he had a kid with-”

Louis felt a lead-like feeling in his gut at the thought of Harry and Taylor actually being mates. Why hadn’t Harry told him it was that serious?

Lachlan was still talking, “-but then you come out smelling like him and you defend mate bonds and-”

Lachlan glanced at Louis, eyes skirting over his neck where the chain of Harry’s necklace could be seen.

He huffed out a humourless laugh, “Fuck! I feel so stupid! All the signs were there and I just didn’t notice. Alpha Styles is well within his rights to kill me, you know. Is that what you wanted? Bloodshed? War between our packs?”

Louis blinked at the wolf, completely lost.

“Why would Harry kill you?” he asked, slowly, trying to piece together what this outburst was about.

Lachlan stopped the car so abruptly that, if it hadn’t been for his seatbelt, Louis would have flown out of his seat.

“ _Enough with the games!_ ” Lachlan’s eyes were flashing now and if Louis hadn’t spent most of his life around werewolves and seen an Alpha wolf lose control, he would have been frightened, “Why didn’t you tell me that you were mates? Why did you even agree to go with me on this fucking date if you were already _bonded_ to Alpha Styles?!”

Louis felt the blood drain out of his face. 

“What?” his voice came out as a croak and he knew his eyes were wide, “Mates? B..bonded?”

The anger in Lachlan’s eyes simmered down a notch, confusion entering them.

“You…” he took a moment to study Louis before muttering, “You must have known. It’s not just any bond. It’s an Alpha deux. I can tell from the scent surrounding you.”

“Alpha deux,” Louis breathed out, his mind flashing back to an evening spent in the Manor’s library while the pack were out on a full moon run.

He remembered reading the words in one of the books Anne had given to Harry. Unfortunately, he had only been nine years old and hadn’t entirely understood or cared about what it meant.

“Did you honestly not know?” Lachlan sounded horrified now, biting his lip as he stared at Louis, “I…uh…didn’t mean to yell at you. I just…please don’t tell my Alpha?”

Louis took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm. 

“Lachlan,” his voice came out dangerously even, “I won’t tell her but I need you to do something for me.”

“Anything,” Lachlan answered because Sarah Montgomery’s wrath was not something he wanted to face.

“Tell me everything you know about this…bond,” Louis said, gaze determined, “And I mean, absolutely _everything_.”

Lachlan stared at Louis. The first time he had seen Louis again, all those weeks ago, he had been bewildered at the thought of the Styles pack accepting a human as their Alpha. Now though, he could see why they had.

Louis wore command as naturally as any Alpha wolf, his frame poised in a confident manner and his eyes sharp and clear. He wasn’t requesting that Lachlan tell him. He was _demanding_.

And, despite Lachlan not being a part of his pack, it seemed wrong to respond with anything other than, “Yes, Alpha Tomlinson,” as he pulled the car over to the side of the road and obliged Louis’ command. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Harry sensed the exact moment that Louis and Lachlan returned to the Manor. His first instinct was to rush outside and scent Louis, to erase all traces of the Beta he had spent the evening with, but he forced himself to remain in his room. 

He didn’t have that right anymore. He never had, really. Being bonded to Louis meant nothing if the boy…his mate, resented it. Resented him. 

_“I have the right to make my own choices and not have them forced on me for everyone else’s convenience…”_

Louis’ words ran through his mind again, causing another jab of pain in his chest. His wolf was berating him. He would suffer it in silence. Harry had, after all, deserved it. 

In hindsight, he had no idea why he thought keeping their bond from his mate would be a good idea. It had been some twisted attempt of his to protect Louis; to try and give him some semblance of choice in the matter. A part of him had thought, had _hoped_ , that Louis would pick him even without knowledge of the bond. That part, he was now painfully aware, had been wrong.

Harry strained his ears a bit further, letting snippets of Louis and Lachlan’s conversation in. He knew it was a horrid thing to do but his wolf was angry and hurt and it was too hard to fight against the desire to eavesdrop. 

“Thanks for everything, Lachlan,” Louis was saying when Harry focused in on them, “I don’t know how much longer it would have taken me if you hadn’t…well. You know.”

“I really do hope it all works out for you,” Lachlan said, “And thank you for the this evening, even though it didn’t turn out exactly as planned.”

“Yeah,” Louis huffed out a laugh, “Sorry about that.”

“You’re not sorry,” Lachlan answered, his tone amicable but there was also a trace of sadness in it, “And you have no need to be. I should have picked up on it sooner.”

“Imagine how I feel,” Louis muttered and Lachlan laughed.

“You _were_ a bit oblivious,” the Beta replied with a teasing chuckle, “And here I was, thinking I had a chance to woo you.”

Harry felt his wolf bristle, a growl reverberating in his chest. He forced himself to push back the possessive and jealous feelings.

Louis made an apologetic noise.

“But you can make it up to me,” Lachlan continued.

“The last time I heard those exact words…” Louis began, cautiously.

Lachlan chuckled and, judging by the rustle of material, he had placed his hand on Louis’ shoulder.

“I just want to hang out as friends this time,” Lachlan promised, “Strictly platonic. I may be reckless but I’m not suicidal!”

The tight knot in Harry’s stomach eased as he processed the words. As friends, Lachlan had said. Clearly, the _date_ hadn’t gone as planned. Louis didn’t want to be Lachlan’s boyfriend! Harry’s wolf didn’t feel the least bit guilty at the joy that thought brought him.

“We can do that,” Louis agreed, “I’ve been told I need to have friends outside of my pack.”

The words were said with a hint of anger behind them and Harry felt his heart plummet. Was Louis unhappy about being in the Styles pack now that he knew about his connection with Harry?

He stopped listening into the conversation, knowing Louis had a right to his privacy. Whatever decision he made, Harry would accept it. He had never been able to deny Louis when the boy was set on getting something his way. 

He was startled out of his thoughts when a knock came on his bedroom door, followed by the nervous scent of Liam.

“Come in,” Harry mumbled, glancing up at the worried-looking Beta.

“The Alpha’s back,” Liam began, as if Harry hadn’t realised the moment his mate arrived, “And he…uh..wants to talk to you. Alone.”

Harry took a deep breath. He assumed Louis was here to officially end their friendship. Harry had betrayed his trust, after all. He understood Louis wanting to cut all ties with him. They could work out a way to run the pack without having to meet each other face to face if…if that was what Louis really wanted.

The bond could never be eradicated but, with time and distance, it would eventually fade into a dull, constant ache. He hoped it wouldn’t be as bad for a human. The last thing he wanted was to cause Louis more pain.

Harry swallowed around the lump in his throat. He left Liam to keep an eye on Dex, who had finally fallen asleep. He walked out of the bedroom, heading towards the front of the Manor where he could sense Louis was waiting. 

The first thing Harry noticed when he closed the front door behind him was that Louis was wearing his jacket- the denim one. Despite the heavy feeling in his chest, he felt his wolf growl in approval at the thought of Louis being covered in his scent. 

The second thing he noticed was the way Louis was glaring at him. Harry couldn’t pinpoint Louis’ exact mood from his scent. He thought he detected anger and disappointment in there, which was to be expected, but there was also an undercurrent of something lighter…hope, perhaps? Louis spoke before Harry could attempt to figure out what that meant.

“How far do we have to go for this to be a private conversation?” 

Harry wanted to whine, to get on his knees and beg Louis for forgiveness, but the human’s words were said in a sharp, biting tone that made it clear Harry wasn’t in charge of this conversation. His mum, Harry knew, would have been disappointed at how easily he was giving up on his mate but he had already taken Louis’ choice away once. He wouldn’t do it again.

Instead of voicing his thoughts aloud, he led Louis towards the deepest part of the woods. It wasn’t a spot he visited often but his mum had often called it, “the heart of our land”, because it was exactly at the centre of the Styles territory. Louis followed him silently, not saying a word until they arrived at the small clearing. 

Harry turned to face Louis but the man didn’t say a word, just continued to stare back at Harry. 

“Lou,” Harry cleared his throat, unable to take another minute of the silent treatment, “I am so sorr-”

“How long have you known?” Louis interrupted, crossing his arms in front of him.

Harry bit his lip.

“A…a while.”

Louis continued to glare at him until Harry felt compelled to explain.

“I suspected that you were…that we’ve always been mates on the night I returned but I didn’t know about the bond until that day when we visited Alpha Corden.”

Louis’ lips tightened further.

“I didn’t mean to take away your choice about bonding, Lou. I’m so sorry! I-”

“Shut. Up.”

The words were said with a sense of finality and Harry found his jaw snapping closed, as if Louis had somehow pushed it shut with his will. 

“You don’t get to apologise yet,” Louis told him, eyes locking with his, firm and unyielding, “Because the list of things you have to apologise for is fucking endless.”

Harry couldn’t argue. He nodded to let his mate know he agreed.

“It’s one thing to ditch me on my seventeenth birthday to make out with some girl. It hurt, yeah, but I got over it. Hell, I never even blamed you for moving to London and leaving me in charge of the pack despite my obvious lack of experience at being an Alpha,” Louis continued, voice steady but Harry could sense the hint of pain in the words.

He whined, fighting the urge to bare his throat in the face of Louis’ anger.

“But _this_ is quite another issue, Harry. To figure out that I’m your mate and decide not to tell me; to establish one of the strongest mating bonds in existence and to then keep it from me; to treat me like a fucking _idiot_ -”

“Lou-”

“I thought I told you to shut up!”

Harry bit his lip, wanting to reach out to comfort his mate but knowing it was the last thing Louis wanted. Louis was pacing now, his hands clenched into fists by his sides, as if he were trying to physically stop his anger from boiling over.

“You kept it from me. This…this life-altering information. And then you had the Betas, _our_ Betas, hide it from me as well. Do you have any clue how much they struggled to lie to me? How torn they must have felt? Did you even care about that?”

Harry blinked at Louis. The truth was, he had only been thinking of protecting his mate; of shielding Louis from the gravity of a situation he had not intentionally chosen. The idea of the Betas suffering to keep this a secret from their other Alpha had not even entered his mind. 

“I…didn’t think about that,” Harry mumbled, shamefaced.

“Of course you didn’t,” Louis said, coming to a standstill in front of Harry, “Because you’re too busy blaming yourself to think about anyone around you! What happened to your whole spiel on not keeping secrets from each other? On making decisions together?”

“Lou, I honestly didn’t intend to bond-”

“ _I’m not talking about the fucking bond, Styles!_ ” Louis practically screamed at the wolf.

Harry’s eyes widened. Around them, the woods quietened as a blue shimmer formed around the arguing pair, enclosing them in a protective bubble. Neither of them noticed, far too focused on the situation under discussion.

Louis took a deep breath, taking a step back and composing himself.

“I…sorry. This isn’t how I pictured this conversation going,” Louis said, “But you’re not understanding what I’m trying to say. We’re accidentally bonded. Maybe it’s stupid of me but I don’t blame you for that. I’m shocked, yes. But I’m not angry.”

Harry blinked at him, letting his mate’s words sink in.

“A..Are you saying…you’re okay with this? With being my…being bonded?”

Louis bit his lip but nodded.

“Yeah, I…this might not have been my ideal way of going about it and it’s going to take me some time to…to get my head around the fact we’re actually bonded but yeah. I’m okay with it.”

“Then…what are you angry at me for?” Harry asked, hesitantly, still sensing prickles of anger from his mate.

Louis gave him a look that suggested he was an idiot. For a minute, Harry thought he wasn’t going to answer; that he was going to stalk away. 

After a few moments of silent glaring though, Louis hissed out, “I’m angry because you kept this bond a secret from me and I had to find out about it from another pack’s Beta!”

And…that made no sense.

“But you knew about it before you left on your date! You…you rejected me,” Harry protested.

“ _What_?!” Louis’ anger was still palpable but there was an edge of bafflement to it now, “How could I reject you when I didn’t even know that we were bonded until half an hour ago?”

“But you said you had the right to make your own choices and that I shouldn’t have forced it on you,” Harry quoted Louis’ words back at him, “And then, before I could apologise properly, you told me you wanted to go on a date with that Beta. I’m not stupid, Lou. I know a bond rejection when I hear one.”

Harry watched as the human’s face changed from anger to confusion to exasperation in quick succession.

“You…I can’t fucking believe you thought…” Louis spluttered out but Harry interrupted him because there was only so many times he could deal with being reminded of the rejection.

“The Alpha deux bond can’t be reversed but I’ll stay away from you if that’s what you need. I can..if you want me to, I’ll leave and-”

“No!” Louis was back to full-fledged anger now and Harry stumbled back when the human stepped forward and pushed a hand against his chest, rage radiating off him, “You do not get to leave me again, Harry. _Never again_.”

Harry felt his wolf whining, urging him to placate his mate but Harry was still slightly confused.

“But you told me you didn’t want-”

“I wasn’t talking about the bond!” Louis exclaimed, looking utterly done with Harry’s lack of comprehension, “I meant you and my mum weren’t giving me a choice about my personal life! She suggested that I start dating and then you wanted me to leave with Lachlan and-”

“I didn’t want you to leave!” Harry growled out, “I just thought it was selfish of me to always want you around! And then you…you said it was a date. I didn’t realise he was asking you out on a date!”

“How could you not realise?!”

They were both shouting at each other now, toe to toe. The fact that Louis was shorter didn’t seem to be stopping the human, his anger matching Harry’s in its intensity.

“I…you…it was confusing!” Harry burst out, “You confuse me!”

“I confuse you,” Louis enunciated each word with a tone of disbelief.

At a complete loss on what to do, Harry fell back on old habits. He pouted. 

“You’re not as cute as Dex,” Louis stated and suddenly, they were both giggling, dissolving into laughter at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. 

The miscommunications and misunderstandings over the past five weeks just seemed idiotic now. All of it, Harry realised with a jolt, could have been solved much earlier if they had just _talked_ about it. When they finally calmed down, wiping away tears of laughter, Louis took a shaky breath. 

“So…we’re actually bonded.”

“We are,” Harry nodded.

Louis bit his lip as he asked his next question.

“What does that make us, Harry?”

“Mates,” Harry answered at once, his wolf growling in approval.

Louis shook his head.

“No, I mean…what does it mean for us? Did you even want me as your mate? Or…” a tinge of uncertainty entered his face, “Or was this all just an unexpected accident?”

“No!” Harry backtracked when he saw the disbelief in Louis’ eyes, “Well, the bonding part was an accident but what I feel for you is…my feelings aren’t an accident, Lou.”

A curious gleam entered Louis’ eyes as the boy stepped closer to Harry.

“What are your feelings for me then?”

Harry blinked at him. What he felt for Louis was…he felt so much! How was he supposed to put it all into words? 

Louis raised an eyebrow at him, playfully challenging him and before Harry could reign it in, instinct took over. The next thing he knew, he had Louis pressed up against a tree trunk, hands cupping the boy’s face as their lips met in a desperate kiss. The feeling that took over his mind was indescribable; like everything was finally fitting into place as his wolf rejoiced at being able to touch his mate. When Louis responded, kissing him back with the same amount of fervour, it felt _right_.

Louis let out a soft moan and Harry couldn’t stop his body from pressing closer, trying to cover every bit of exposed skin on his mate’s body. He felt Louis’ hands thread through his hair, the same way it had done countless times before and yet, this time was different. His fingernails gently scraped over Harry’s scalp but not in a motion of comfort. It was a needy gesture, conveying exactly what Louis wanted without words. Harry whined as the human tugged on his curls in a way that made his control unravel further. In response, Harry nipped at his mate’s lips, causing Louis to let out a whimper of need. 

Harry groaned at the sound, nudging his nose against Louis’ jawline and tracing his pulse with his tongue until he got to the spot on the younger man’s neck that smelt the most strongly of _Louis_ and _mate_. He wanted to leave his scent on that spot, mark it in such a way that anyone who came within three feet of Louis would be able to smell not only him but _them_. Harry _and_ Louis. His wolf growled in approval at the idea. 

Harry was diverted from his task by Louis tugging at his hair again.

“Hazza,” Louis murmured, his voice husky in a way that made Harry want to lay him down and take him apart, piece by piece.

Still, a part of his mind was aware of the fact they were still in the woods and that the night was getting colder. He forced himself to stop suckling marks into Louis’ neck and settled a possessive hand on his mate’s hip. 

His lips found their way back to the boy’s, loving the way all traces of Lachlan’s scent were being wiped away by the more potent scent of arousal that was shooting through Louis’ body. A scent, Harry’s wolf purred possessively, that no one else got to experience. A scent that was just for him.

It was Louis’ hand on his chest that made Harry pause. His mate, he realised as he tamped down the fog of desire and possession that had clouded his mind, was trying to push him away. He was succeeding too, as Harry stumbled backwards, a whine on his lips.

It was difficult to focus on Louis’ words when the boy’s lips looked so red and kissable, when he was panting just as hard as Harry, when every pore in his mate’s body was asking Harry to take him in his arms and…

“Sorry, what?” Harry’s voice came out slow and gravelly as he forced himself to stay focused on the words Louis was saying.

“You still haven’t answered my question,” Louis repeated but he wore a soft smile on his face, “How do you feel about me?”

“Like…” Harry paused. His instinctive answer had been ‘Like you’re my mate’ but he had a strong feeling that wasn’t what Louis was looking for.

He wasn’t asking what his wolf felt. He wanted to know what _Harry_ felt. 

As he stared at the boy in front of him, Harry struggled to put his feelings into words. He had always been called charming but that personality trait of his seemed to be failing him when he needed it the most. 

“Like you’re…my everything,” he said softly, terrified that Louis would take his hesitation the wrong way and walk off.

His thoughts must have slipped onto his face for Louis stepped closer.

“Everything?” the human Alpha asked, his lips tilting up into a bemused smirk.

“Everything,” Harry repeated, unable to find a better word to describe what Louis meant to him, “My best friend, my anchor, my everything.”

“Fuck,” Louis muttered under his breath before reaching up to pull Harry down into another kiss. 

This was different from their first few. There was still that underlying, simmering need but now, there was also something infinitely more tender; something powerful and steady being shared between them. It was, Harry realised with a start, their bond solidifying and strengthening itself. 

One of the reasons the Alpha deux mating bond was unique was because it didn’t require constant physical touch to maintain but touch definitely made it stronger and more easier to access. It hit Harry with sudden clarity that he didn’t have to tell Louis how he felt. He could _show_ him.

It was something he had read about all those years ago in the library, memorising the words out of fear his mum would test him on it. He had never thought he would need to use it, never thought he’d have the chance. 

Harry let his instincts take over, allowing his wolf to bring up and project the feelings he had always felt towards Louis; the feelings he had spent so many years denying and hiding from view.

Louis pulled back from the kiss with a gasp of shock, staring at Harry with wide-eyed wonder as the feelings flooded over them, encasing them in its steady flow. They were still connected by physical touch, Harry having wrapped his arms around Louis’ waist and Louis holding onto his shoulders. Neither of them could bring themselves to let go as the emotions- protectiveness, love, joy, need- cascaded over them.

“I want to show you something,” Harry whispered to Louis, “Close your eyes.”

The human obliged without hesitation. 

Harry closed his eyes as well, letting his wolf take the reins. The feelings he had been projecting were now accompanied by memories, some of which he hadn’t thought about in a long time but which his wolf had stored away. At first, they were from their shared childhood- days in the park, full moon runs where Harry would return to see Louis lying on his bed and reading his comics, Harry growling at a girl for laughing at Louis, Louis punching a boy in his class for daring to ask why Harry was hanging out with a baby. All of these memories had a sense of pride in them, a feeling of joy that was associated with being around Louis and having Louis’ attention.

Then, the feelings changed, becoming stronger and more complex as Harry entered adulthood. There was still a gap in his memories from his time in London but the only thing his wolf seemed interested in projecting from that time was an image of an open-eyed Dex, wrapped in a blanket, being nuzzled by Harry in his wolf form. Louis’ grip on his shoulders tightened and Harry was glad that the faceless stranger the pack referred to as ‘Taylor’ hadn’t entered his mind. The last thing he wanted to do was to cause his mate any pain during their first shared mind link. 

The memories shifted to ones of Louis with Dex, feelings of overwhelming fondness and affection encasing the images. The last memory wasn’t a feeling. Or…well, it was. But it was a feeling associated with scent, one he wasn’t sure Louis would understand but one his wolf felt the need to show him anyway. It was from earlier that day, when he had walked into the Manor’s living room to see Louis cuddling with the pack. 

Harry had had to fight every instinct in his body to not grab Louis and kiss him right there and then, throwing caution to the wind. Because the scent that had surrounded Louis had been a simple one; one that Harry had always associated with him and yet, one he had only recently understood the full significance of. It had been the smell of home.

“Hazza,” Louis’ voice came out cracked.

Harry opened his eyes to see that Louis had tears welling up in his eyes. Whether he understood the significance of the last memory or not, it was clear that he had understood the reason behind their accidental bonding.

“Your wolf chose me a long time ago,” Louis said, almost wonderingly, as Harry reached down to wipe his mate’s wet cheeks with his hands.

“It did,” Harry replied, softly, “And so did my human side. I just didn’t let myself believe it. You’re too good for me, babe.”

“You’re a sap,” Louis said but his face had widened into a breathtaking smile.

“Says the one who’s crying,” Harry grinned back, finally letting himself give into the urge to scent Louis properly.

Louis hummed and stood still while Harry nuzzled against his cheek and neck, before pressing a quick kiss against his lips the way he had wanted to do for a long time. 

“I’m still going to need some time to come to terms with it all,” Louis said, quietly, “And to learn how it all works. It’s…a lot to take in at once.”

“I get that,” Harry nodded, “Take all the time you need. The book on Alpha deux bonds is still in the library somewhere. I can hunt it down for you.”

“Yeah, that would be helpful,” Louis smiled.

They stood there for a moment, staring at each other, hardly able to believe that this was actually happening. 

Eventually, it was Louis who murmured, “We should get back. The Betas. They’ll think I murdered you or something.”

“They’ll probably offer to help you hide the body,” Harry replied, only half-joking. 

“If anyone asks,” Louis said, casually, as they turned to walk back towards the Manor, “I never cried. I was cool, calm and collected.”

Harry smiled but he glanced over at Louis with concern in his eyes.

“Are you sure you’re alright with this?” he waved his hand between them, “We don’t need to rush into anything.”

“We’re bonded, Harry,” Louis answered but there was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, “A bit late for that talk.”

Harry huffed out a breath, knowing Louis was laughing at him.

“I’m trying to say that we don’t have to tell the pack straightaway if…if you need more time to-”

“I need time to fully research the Alpha deux bond,” Louis interrupted, “I need time to figure out what it means in terms of the pack.”

Harry nodded in agreement.

“But,” Louis continued, reaching over to thread his fingers through Harry’s as they started to walk back towards the Manor, “I don’t need any more time to know that what I feel for you is real. I want this. You. Us. Trust me, I’ve had more than enough time to make that decision. Years, in fact.”

“Are you saying you had a crush on me?”

“I admit nothing,” Louis huffed out.

Harry grinned, his wolf almost howling with joy. 

“Those dimples are going to fucking kill me,” Louis muttered under his breath but he stopped his grumbling when Harry pulled him closer by wrapping an arm around his waist.

As they returned to the Manor, neither of them noticed the pale, semi-transparent, sheen of blue that had spread across the woods, enclosing the borders of the Styles territory. They also had no way of knowing that a new line of green ink had etched itself into Louis’ notebook. It now read:  
_**‘PROPERTY OF LOUIS TOMLINSON: Styles pack Numen’**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Until the next update, love to you all <3 xx


	13. XIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I am amazed at how much love this fic has gotten! Thank you to everyone who left kudos & commented :)  
> I cried about how nervous I was to post this chapter on tumblr and the sheer number of supportive and encouraging messages I have received since is unbelievable! Thank you to you all <3 xx

“Alpha,” Liam met Harry and Jesy as they returned from their morning patrol, “We’ve got a bit of a…um…situation.”

Harry felt his body stiffen, his senses flaring out in an attempt to locate the threat. He made a confused sound when the only thing he could smell was his pack and…was that something burning?

“He’s gone on a baking spree,” Liam whispered, wringing his hands helplessly, “We tried to stop him but he ordered us out of the kitchen.”

Harry sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers. He would be lying if he said he hadn’t expected this.

Over the last two days, Louis had been having nightmares again, often waking up in the middle of the night, mumbling something about grey eyes. These nightmares inevitably left him tired and worried the next morning.

It definitely didn’t help that Louis hadn’t stepped foot in his own house since the night of his date with Lachlan. It had taken Harry a while to understand what the matter was.

_  
“How about if you call Jay? Give her a chance to explain,” Harry had tried to reason._

_“I don’t want to talk to her right now,” Louis snapped back, glaring at Harry until the wolf pulled him onto his lap, wrapping his arms around the younger boy._

_It was only once Louis was relatively pliant in his arms that Harry spoke again._

_“She doesn’t understand pack, Lou,” he reminded his mate, keeping his voice soothing, “She was just trying to protect you.”_

_“She decided I wasn’t happy, even though I told her I was,” Louis argued back, “She decided to set me up on a date with Lachlan without even bothering to consult me on the matter!”_

_Harry couldn’t stop himself from growling at the reminder of the date. His pulled Louis closer, nuzzling against his neck and ignoring the human’s fond huff._

_“Lachlan and I agreed to be just friends, Hazza,” Louis reminded him, threading a hand through Harry’s hair, “He knew I was yours before I did.”_

_“Good,” Harry muttered, nipping at his mate’s neck when Louis chuckled._

_After a moment of quiet contemplation, Louis spoke again._

_“She’s my mum,” he said, “And I love her but she shouldn’t have interfered in my personal life like that. That wasn’t her call to make.”_

_Harry couldn’t argue against that._

_“At least text her,” he negotiated with Louis, pressing a soft kiss to the boy’s lips, “Just to let her know you’re safe. She’s just going to call me or one of the Betas if she doesn’t hear from you.”_

_Louis had grumbled about it but he had complied, sending Jay a short text to let her know that he was staying at the Manor for the night. Harry wasn’t surprised when, early the next morning, Louis asked Niall and Aidan to go and pick up some of his clothes for him from his house._

_The Betas had exchanged worried glances over his head, giving Harry a questioning look when Louis’ back was turned. Harry had shrugged back helplessly._

_Louis was angry at his mum, yes. But more than that- he was hurt by what she had done. Louis’ method of coping with that pain was to avoid his mother altogether. Harry didn’t think it was the best plan but at the end of the day, it was Louis’ decision to make.  
_

 

It had been three days since then and Louis had been refusing to answer any and all calls from his mum. He still texted her the bare minimum every night, to let her know he was at the Manor with the pack. Then, he would turn off his phone and curl up in bed, cuddling Dex and trying to unsuccessfully ward off the nightmares.

Louis had always been close to his mother, almost as close as he was to the pack. As far back as Harry could remember, Louis and Jay had never had a fight that had lasted this long. It was a difficult situation for his mate and that was more obvious now than ever. Louis only baked when he was stressed.

“How bad is it?” Harry asked Liam, dreading the answer.

“Three batches of burnt muffins so far,” Liam answered with a wince, “He keeps throwing them out as well. Wouldn’t even let Niall sample one!”

And that…well, that was bad. Niall was the youngest pack member and, arguably, Louis’ favourite (although he would never admit it!). He treated the wolf like a younger brother, usually coddling him with food and affection in equal measure. If he was getting angry at Niall, things had taken a turn for the worse.

Harry mentally tuned in to the bond, biting his lip when he felt a swirl of confusion, anger and grief channelling through it. He couldn’t ignore the problem any longer. 

“Someone needs to talk to him,” Harry stated.

“Yep,” Liam agreed with a nod.

“You don’t say,” Jesy muttered, sarcastically.

Harry frowned at his Betas. It’s not that he had expected them to volunteer to talk to Louis when he was in such a difficult mood but…well, they could have at least _pretended_ to offer.

“I guess I’ll talk to him,” Harry finally said, when it was clear there would be no volunteers. 

He pretended not to see the relieved look on his Betas faces.

“You do that, Alpha,” Jesy patted him on the shoulder and, being the considerate Beta that she was, pushed him through the front door before he had a chance to change his mind.

The kitchen was a mess…and that was putting it nicely. The rest of the Betas were huddled by the doorframe, clearly having been banished from setting foot in the room. Dex was apparently exempt from this rule, for he was seated on a high chair, pulled up next to the counter on which Louis was mixing up yet another batch of muffins. 

The toddler’s hair had specks of white flour in it but he was watching Louis with rapt attention as the man added more ingredients to the bowl. When Harry stepped into the room, Dex’s gaze swivelled to him. 

“Dada!” the child grinned, his dimples coming out, “Bake!”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Harry answered the boy but his eyes were on Louis, who had stiffened the moment he sensed Harry’s presence.

“It’s not what it looks like,” the human mumbled.

Harry bit back a smile at that. His mate was nothing if not stubborn.

“What does it look like?” Harry enquired, innocently, reaching out to ruffle Dex’s hair and dust off some of the white powder that had settled there.

“Like I’m stress-baking,” Louis muttered, “But I’m not.”

“Okay,” Harry agreed, stepping closer to his mate. 

“I’m not!” Louis insisted.

“I believe you,” Harry murmured, giving in to the need to wrap his arms around Louis’ waist and pull him back against his chest.

“No you don’t,” Louis grumbled, undoubtedly aware that he sounded like a petulant child.

Harry just hummed, hiding his smile against Louis’ temple as he scented his mate. He felt Louis relax in his arms, the tension leaving him bit by bit as he sagged back against Harry, confident in the knowledge that he wasn’t being judged.

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry could see Liam shepherding the Betas into the backyard, giving Harry and Louis a semblance of privacy. 

Louis must have picked up on this too, for after a moment he murmured, “Mum called me last night. Again.”

“I didn’t pick up,” Louis continued, tapping his fingers on the counter in a nervous manner, “So she left me a voicemail. I listened to it this morning.”

Harry’s arms automatically tightened around Louis as the bond flared to life, sending a jolt of pain that was weighed down by a heavy sense of guilt.

Harry spun Louis around in his arms, caging him in against the counter. 

“What happened?” Harry asked, roughly, eyes roaming over his mate’s face.

Now that he wasn’t actively repressing his bond with Louis, it was easier to control his wolf but Harry still didn’t have the perfect control over himself that he once had. All his wolf could focus on right now was the fact that this phone call had caused his mate more pain and left him feeling guilty and…Harry growled as he smelt a tinge of fear in Louis’ scent. He nuzzled against the boy’s cheek, trying to calm him down with his touch.

Louis gave him a small smile, absently reaching up to thread his fingers through Harry’s hair. 

“It’s just, Mum said something…strange,” Louis said after a moment. 

“What did she say?” Harry pressed.

“She…she offered to drop my clothes off at the Manor or, if I didn’t want to see her, asked me to pick it up from the hospital reception while she was working.”

Harry frowned.

“She…encouraged you to stay here?” he asked, confused.

“Yeah,” Louis chuckled listlessly, “In fact, she insisted. It didn’t sound like I’d be welcome back home.”

Louis bit his lip, lowering his eyes.

“I…It might be because I’ve been ignoring all her calls for the past three days. Maybe she’s just…decided to leave me be. Given up on me.”

“Jay would never do that, Lou,” Harry stated, his tone confident, “She loves you too much to give up that easily.”

Louis shrugged, looking away and avoiding Harry’s gaze.

“Louis,” Harry cupped the younger man’s face with his hands, forcing Louis to look up at him, “She loves you. You know that.”

Instead of answering, Louis leant up and wrapped his arms around Harry’s neck, pulling him in for a kiss. A part of Harry knew the human was trying to distract him but his instincts were telling him to pull his mate closer and give in to those warm, inviting lips that were currently pressed against his own.

“Yuck!” Dex’s voice interrupted the moment and Harry pulled back with a startled look on his face.

He stared at the toddler, who was smiling at them innocently.

“Did he just…?”

“Yep,” Louis sighed, fondly, “Niall’s been working on expanding his vocabulary. Figures he’d teach him that.”

“Can we fire Niall?” Harry muttered.

Louis chuckled.

“Technically, we never hired him in the first place. God, Dex is growing up so fast,” he said, softly, “A month and a bit ago, he only knew about three words. Look at him now.”

“Yuck,” Dex repeated with a grin that clearly conveyed he had no idea what the word actually meant.

And yes, Dex _was_ growing up but Harry had a more pressing matter to talk about.

“Lou-” he began but before Harry could return to his earlier questioning, Louis leant up to peck him on the lips, quick and firm. 

“I need to get this place cleaned up,” Louis said as he pulled away.

Harry paused, staring at the half-finished mixture in the bowl.

“You’re not going to bake that?”

“Nah,” Louis replied and then, in a voice that was almost too quiet for Harry to pick up, added, “I accidentally added salt instead of sugar.”

Harry barely managed to contain his laugh. Louis was amazing in so many ways but his skills did not extend to the world of culinary cuisine. 

“I’ll help you clean,” Harry offered, figuring he could use the opportunity to talk to Louis about the real issue that was bothering the human.

Reconciling with Jay.

“No, it’s fine. It won’t take long. I think the Betas are doing some training, actually. You’re needed out there more.”

Harry opened his mouth to protest but Louis beat him to it.

“And could you take Dex with you? Niall’s supposed to be on babysitting duty for the day.”

Harry understood that it was Louis’ way of saying he wanted to be by himself for a while. 

“Alright,” Harry finally conceded, turning to Dex.

He made to pick the toddler up but Dex ignored his outstretched arms and reached for Louis instead. When the younger man bent down to find out what the child wanted, Dex nuzzled into his neck and pressed a kiss against Louis’ collarbone. 

“Ma,” he said, pulling back and petting Louis’ cheek in a gesture of comfort. 

Louis smiled at that, ruffling Dex’s hair before lifting him up and passing him over to Harry.

“We’ll be in the backyard,” Harry told Louis, giving him the option of joining them if and when he wanted.

Louis nodded in response, waving them away and directing all of his focus on cleaning the mess in the kitchen that he had created.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As soon as Harry walked into the backyard and greeted the Betas, Dex spoke.

“Ma sad,” the toddler proclaimed with an air of importance.

“Why?”

“What happened?”

“Is he okay?”

Harry blinked at his Betas, all of whom seemed to take Dex’s declaration as fact.

“He’ll be okay,” Harry answered, glancing back at the house, “He just needs some time to himself.”

“Does it have anything to do with his mum?” Zayn, ever the perceptive one, asked.

Harry tilted his head in assent before handing Dex over to Niall in a signal that this topic of conversation was over.

“Let’s get back to training,” he stated.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

By the time Louis finished cleaning the kitchen and salvaging the handful of muffins that could be considered edible (by Niall’s standards anyway!), he had made up his mind on what to do.

The rest of the pack were still busy training in the backyard. He could see Dex sitting under a tree, giggling as Niall pulled faces at him. Harry was watching the other Betas train, occasionally giving them tips but mostly content with letting Liam direct the session.

“Hazza,” Louis called out, grinning at the way Harry tilted his head in his direction, a bit like a puppy would. 

He doubted Harry would appreciate the comparison, no matter how accurate.

“I’m going to visit my house for a bit. I need to talk to Mum, face to face.”

All the wolves paused in their movements, turning to stare worriedly at Louis. Liam and Zayn actually took a step forward, their stances protective as they glanced at Harry.

An Alpha’s protective instincts kicked into high gear when it came to their mates. Having an Alpha deux bond only served to amplify that protectiveness. Jay had hurt Louis with her words. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that Harry would feel the urge to physically stop Louis from visiting her.

But when Harry got up from where he had been lounging and walked over to his mate, his eyes weren’t filled with anger. They were just concerned.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” he asked, reaching out to grab Louis’ hands.

“Probably not,” Louis shrugged, letting Harry tug him closer, “But I’ve never fought with Mum like this; not for this long. We’re both stubborn and we both say things we don’t mean when we’re angry or freaked out.”

“You’re not angry at her anymore,” Harry deduced.

“No,” Louis replied, softly, “You were right. She only did all those things because she loves me. That doesn’t make it right but one of us needs to make the first move. Might as well be me, right?”

It took him by surprise when Harry leant down, their lips meeting in a hard kiss. For a few moments, Louis forgot about the Betas and what his plans were. He just let himself get lost in the feel of Harry’s lips against his, warm and demanding.

“I’m so proud of you, Lou,” Harry finally murmured as he pulled away.

Louis had to consciously fight against the urge to pull the Alpha back into another kiss. He wasn’t sure he would ever leave the Manor if he did!

Louis blushed when he remembered that they had an audience. The Betas didn’t seem to mind though, if the way they were grinning was anything to go by. 

“Thanks,” Louis said, clearing his throat and taking a step back from Harry, “I should be back in an hour or so, probably.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Harry asked.

Louis shook his head.

“No. I need to do this alone.”

“Fine,” Harry acquiesced, “But take Zayn with you. He can wait outside while you’re talking to your mum.”

“But he’d just get bored-”

“It wasn’t a suggestion, Lou,” Harry cut across but his voice was fond.

Louis narrowed his eyes at him.

“I thought I told you I didn’t need a bodyguard,” he reminded the Alpha.

Harry just looked over at Liam, who gave Harry a betrayed look before stepping forward, hesitantly. 

“Um…it’s part of the new pack rules, Alpha,” the wolf reminded Louis, hesitantly, “If you leave the Manor, you have to have at least one other person with you.”

“It wouldn’t be fair of me to exempt you from the rule,” Harry added with a smirk, “I’d be accused of favouritism.”

And then, before Louis could tell him exactly what he thought of that statement, Harry tugged him back in for another kiss. And it wasn’t fair really, the way Harry could jumble his thoughts with such a small gesture. He had to fight against the urge to moan as the wolf nipped at his bottom lip.

“Hurry back,” the Alpha whispered against his jaw before stepping back with a smug look in his eyes, knowing exactly how flustered he had made Louis.

Louis tried to tamp down on his emotions but, from the way Harry’s eyes had darkened, it was obvious that he could feel them. 

Louis was still learning how to control his emotions from seeping through the Alpha deux bond. Harry, on the other hand, seemed to be a natural at it. He had explained that it was because mating bonds were instinctive for werewolves.

“My wolf’s already adapted to it,” Harry had explained when he’d asked, “It’s going to take you a little longer to be as comfortable with it and to gain more control over it. That’s normal, Lou.”

Except, they both knew that nothing about this situation was normal. Bonds weren’t supposed to form spontaneously, especially not one as powerful as the Alpha deux. Not to mention that it was unheard of for such a bond to establish itself between a human and a werewolf. Louis had done his research. 

The last known Alpha deux bond had been formed during a bonding ceremony between two werewolves from the once formidable Winston pack- Alpha Samuel Winston and his wife, Maria. Samuel had died a decade ago and Maria had passed away soon after. Maria had also been Sarah Montgomery’s great-Aunt, which was why she knew as much as she did about the bond. Still, not even Alpha Montgomery could answer why the bond had formed without Harry and Louis intending for it to happen.

“I hate you,” Louis told Harry now, his lips still tingling from the Alpha’s kiss.

Harry grinned at him, his dimples coming out.

“I love you too, Lou.”

He had said that before, of course, but it was different now that Louis knew he meant it in a non-platonic way. Still, Louis had to keep up his image of not being the sappy one!

“Yeah, yeah,” Louis muttered as he turned towards the front door with Zayn on his heels.

He thought he had kept his composure until Zayn spoke.

“You’re still blushing,” Zayn informed him, his expression smug.

“Shut up,” Louis hissed at him, his face turning redder as he heard Harry’s low chuckle from inside the Manor.

“It’s cute.”

“Seriously, shut up,” Louis gritted out.

Harry’s chuckle had turned into a full on cackle by this point. 

Zayn just smirked knowingly as they got into the car. 

“Just you wait,” Louis told the Beta.

When Zayn and Liam got bonded in two days, Louis intended to show them no mercy with the teasing.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Louis had barely turned onto his street when Zayn, who had been fiddling with the car’s radio, stiffened next to him. 

“What’s wrong?” Louis asked at once, eyes automatically scanning the area for any threats.

“Your house smells…different,” Zayn answered, his eyes flashing, “Something’s happened.”

Before Louis could even slow down the car, the Beta had opened the door and leapt out. Zayn landed on his feet and rushed off in the direction of Louis’ house, letting his instincts lead him.

“Shit!” Louis muttered out loud, stepping on the gas.

By the time he pulled up in front of his house, Zayn was already there. Louis got out of the car, cautiously. He walked towards the Beta, who was sniffing the air, body tense and alert.

“Alpha,” Zayn said quietly, “Your mum’s on the phone. She’s having a follow-up conversation with the police.”

Louis felt his blood run cold.

“A follow-up on what? What are they talking about? Is she okay?” He turned to look at the wolf, who was frowning.

“Jay heard someone enter the house last night,” Zayn paraphrased the conversation he was listening in on, “She thought it was you at first and came out of her bedroom to check but…”

“But?” Louis prompted, his heart racing at the thought of his mum getting hurt in any way.

“When she called out, she heard the lock to your room click shut. So she knocked on it…she thinks she must have startled the intruder because she heard rushed footsteps and then silence. The police came by the house and managed to break into your bedroom but the intruder was gone by then.”

Louis didn’t wait to hear any more. He marched towards the house, taking out his keys and unlocking the door.

His mum was sitting in the living room with the phone held up to her ear. 

“Thank you,” she was saying into the phone, her other hand clutched around a mug of lukewarm tea, “Please let me know if you find anything at all.”

Her voice trailed off as she caught sight of him. 

“Uh..I’ve got to go,” Jay murmured into the phone before disconnecting the call.

She stood up from the couch and took a few hesitant steps towards Louis.

“Why didn’t you tell me?!” Louis couldn’t stop himself from bursting out, “Are you alright?”

“I…Louis…what are you talking about?”

“Don’t try to hide it, Mum,” Louis gave Jay a sharp look that had her biting her lip, “Zayn heard you talking to the police. I know someone broke in last night.”

“Nothing was stolen,” Jay cleared her throat to say, giving Louis an apologetic look, “I just didn’t want to worry you, is all.”

“I can’t place the scent,” Zayn whispered in Louis’ ear, “But someone’s definitely been in your room.”

Louis exchanged a loaded glance with Zayn before they both simultaneously headed for the stairs, Jay rushing after them.

“It really isn’t as bad as it sounds,” Jay was saying, “As soon as I heard them, they jumped out of the bedroom window. Probably just a kid doing it for a dare or something! The police dusted for fingerprints last night but they didn’t find any. And…”

She trailed off as they came to Louis’ bedroom. To put it simply, it looked as if a tornado had hit it, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. Drawers that had been full of clothes were now empty, the aforementioned clothes thrown in haphazard piles across the carpet. Louis’ desk had been ransacked and the papers he kept on it were scattered around the room. His bed was still untouched, which seemed to suggest that the intruder hadn’t gotten enough time to get to it before they were interrupted by Jay.

Louis swallowed, stepping inside and taking a mental inventory of the room.

“Fucking hell,” Zayn muttered, glancing around the room, “Is this what kids do for fun on Saturday nights now?”

Louis shook his head and something about his silence made Zayn glance at him.

“Alpha?” he asked, worriedly, “What’s wrong?”

Louis took a shaky breath, eyes roaming over the different piles of clothing on the floor. He had spotted something odd- the drawers had been emptied in a hasty but systemic manner.

“I don’t think this was a kid’s idea of a prank,” Louis finally said, “It…it looks like someone was searching for something.”

Zayn subconsciously stepped closer to him, as if he could protect Louis from the unknown, invisible threat.

“Who would do that?” he asked, voice sharp.

Louis shrugged.

“The more important question is, what were they looking for?”

He turned his attention back to his mum, who, unlike Zayn, didn’t seem shocked or surprised by Louis’ discovery.

“You suspected that,” Louis said, his voice coming out a tad accusing.

Jay gave him a hesitant nod.

“The thought occurred to me. I’m sorry for not telling you, love, but this was the only room the intruder entered and…after seeing the state of it, I just…” she trailed off, her eyes pleading with Louis to understand.

And, despite wanting to stay angry at his mother, Louis could understand where she was coming from.

“You were worried about my safety,” he stated.

Jay nodded again.

“I was so glad you weren’t here when it happened and then I started thinking of what might happen if you came back. What if they break into the house again? What happens if you’re in your room next time? Until the police figure out who the intruder is, I thought it would be best to keep you away…and the Manor was the safest place I could think of,” she continued, softly.

“Because I’m with werewolves,” Louis guessed.

“Because you’re with Harry,” Jay corrected and the tone of her words told him she regretted trying to set him up with Lachlan, “That boy would never let you get hurt. Not if he could help it. I have always been one hundred percent certain about that.”

It wasn’t exactly an apology but a part of Louis felt it was better. It was Jay’s way of saying she accepted…and perhaps even _approved_ of Louis’ decisions, whatever they were. 

“Thanks Mum,” he said with a small smile and, when Jay tentatively held out her arms, he walked into them, hugging her tight.

He had missed being away from her, missed talking to her and laughing with her. 

Zayn slipped out of the room quietly, murmuring something about alerting Harry about what had happened. It was only once the front door closed behind Zayn that Jay spoke, whispering in Louis’ ear as they hugged.

“I may not understand much about werewolves- the rules or the hierarchy. I don’t know what being in a pack is like. But I understand what it means to be a family. It wasn’t right of me to try and get in between that. You love them and it’s clear to see that they love you back just as much,” Jay took a deep breath, pulling back to give him a soft smile, “All that matters to me is that you’re happy, love. And if you say you are, I believe you. I should have always believed you.”

“We’ve both done stupid things,” Louis assured her, “It’s all in the past now. We’re fine.”

Jay gave him a searching look.

“Why do I feel as if you’re not telling me something?”

Louis had to bite back his smile. 

“I’m just…happy,” he said after a few seconds, “Really happy.”

“Any particular reason why?” Jay asked, her look turning quizzical.

Louis thought about the kisses he’d shared with Harry just that morning. Telling his mum that they were bonded would be a difficult concept for her to understand, no matter how supportive she tried to be. He couldn’t tell her that…at least, not for a while. But there was no way he could keep the fact that him and Harry were together from her either. She would never forgive him if he did!

“I’m dating someone,” he settled for saying, feeling his cheeks heat up as Jay gave him a surprised look.

“Oh? Just to be clear…it’s not Lachlan?”

“Nope,” Louis shook his head hastily, “Definitely not Lachlan.”

“I figured,” Jay gave him a small smile, “Well, you can tell me all about it over a cuppa. If…if you want to, that is?”

She sounded both hesitant and hopeful, as if she still wasn’t sure whether Louis had truly forgiven her. Louis wrapped an arm around her shoulders, leaning into her a little as they made their way towards the kitchen.

“I can’t think of anything I’d like better,” he told her, honestly.

He had _really_ missed his mum!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It wasn’t surprising that less than ten minutes later, Harry was bursting through the door, eyes flashing. Before Louis could even attempt to reassure the Alpha, the wolf pushed a confused Dex into Louis’ arms and raced off towards Louis’ bedroom, undoubtedly having caught hold of the intruder’s scent. Dex proceeded to gently gnaw on Louis’ neck, marking him with the scent of pack as much as a human toddler could. Louis sighed, biting back a fond smile.

Jay raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

“It’s a pack thing,” he stated in lieu of a full explanation, rubbing his cheek along Dex’s hair to calm the child down.

From the soft growls Louis could detect upstairs, Dex wasn’t the only one in need of a calming touch. But he also knew that Harry wouldn’t be satisfied again until all of Louis’ things were covered in the familiar smell of pack.

The second knock on the front door, however, took Louis by surprise. Before either he or his mum could get up, they heard the sound of a key being inserted into the lock. The door swung open to reveal the rest of the pack standing there.

Louis blinked in shock when he saw that they were all either carrying suitcases or had bags slung over their shoulders. Almost as if they were…

“ _What_ is going on?” Louis asked, standing up from his place at the table and passing Dex over to his mum.

“The Alpha thought it best if we…uh…moved in with you both?” Liam explained, looking at the kitchen tiles rather than at Louis or Jay, “Just temporarily. It’ll be easier to protect everyone if we’re all living in the same space.”

A part of Louis understood the reason behind Harry’s decision. The Manor was reserved for pack only and, despite all the werewolves adoring Jay, his mum would never be a member of the pack. Even if Harry had wanted to, he couldn’t invite Jay to stay with them at the Manor without violating the pack rules set out by his ancestors and yet, Harry also couldn’t leave Jay unprotected.

“Patrols won’t be enough, then?” Louis clarified.

Liam glanced over at Jay hesitantly before shaking his head at Louis.

“It’ll be more secure this way. Strength in numbers and all.”

“It was only an attempted burglary,” Jay said, her tone confused.

Louis bit his lip. He knew Liam wasn’t talking about just the attempted burglary but, since his mum wasn’t aware of anything else that had happened, she probably thought they were all massively overreacting. 

“Uh…it’s…another pack thing?” Louis tried but he could tell from the look his mum was levelling him with that she didn’t buy it for a second. 

“Louis-” she began but she was cut off by a growl coming from the doorway.

Louis turned to see that Harry had returned. Instead of looking calmer as Louis had expected, Harry only seemed more agitated. 

“Dada?” Dex asked but Harry barely spared him a look.

“It was a werewolf,” he stated with a snarl, eyes flashing, “An _Alpha_ werewolf!”

“The same one who slashed the tires?” Louis whispered and Harry gave one, terse nod.

Almost as if he had given a silent command, all the Betas simultaneously dropped their suitcases and bags, rushing out the front door. 

“Where are they…?” Louis started to ask but he was cut off by Harry’s lips, which were suddenly on his.

The kiss was desperate and intimate. Harry ran his hands over Louis’ body, checking for any injuries and pulling the human closer against him as if he could protect Louis by proximity alone.

“Hey,” Louis whispered against the wolf’s lips when he had the chance, “I’m fine. I’m okay.”

Harry whined softly, covering Louis’ lips with his own again, the kiss turning softer and more tender as his wolf finally believed Louis’ words.

Harry still didn’t step away. Instead, he moved his head until he could nuzzle against the crook of Louis’ neck, his arms fitting around Louis’ hips in an almost vice-like grip.

“Sorry,” Harry mumbled against his skin, his warm breath causing Louis to shiver slightly, “I just…my wolf couldn’t…I smelt the werewolf again and I-”

“I get it, Hazza,” Louis raked his fingers through the wolf’s hair, calming him down with his physical touch, “But I wasn’t even here when it happened. I’m fine.”

Harry just held him closer, breathing him in for another moment before finally, taking a step back. He still kept an arm around Louis’ waist though, reluctant to let go completely.

“Um…h..hello, Jay,” Harry cleared his throat to say, his cheeks a brilliant shade of red as he met Louis’ mum’s gaze.

“Harry,” Jay nodded back in acknowledgement, a small, knowing smile on her lips.

Dex petted Jay’s cheek approvingly, as if he were proud of her for having gotten his dad’s name right. 

“Uh..sorry for the…” Harry pointed towards the open front door, “The invasion of werewolves. It’s just…well, we’d feel more comfortable…that is…if you don’t mind, I’d like to…just for safety purposes, you understand-”

“I’ve got spare mattresses in the garage,” Jay said, cutting off Harry’s rambling, “And I expect all of you to chip in with the chores and to clean up after yourselves.”

Harry blinked at Jay, surprised at her easy acceptance. Louis too, gaped at his mum.

“You…you’re alright with them staying here?” he asked, a note of confusion in his voice, “The…whole pack?”

“Like I said,” Jay answered, a smile curving up the corners of her lips, “I understand what it means to be family. Besides, if a werewolf is involved, the police aren’t going to be much help, are they?”

“No. They’re not,” Harry confirmed, “The Betas are out patrolling the borders of the territory right now. If the werewolf is still on our land, they’ll find them.”

Jay nodded, glancing down at her watch.

“Oh god! Is that the time?! I’m going to be late for work!”

She kissed Dex on the head, invoking a dimpled smile from the toddler, before placing him down on the chair. Louis was just about to breathe a sigh of relief, thankful that his mum hadn’t launched into questions at seeing him and Harry together, when Jay spoke again.

“Oh, and Harry?” she said, her voice suddenly serious, “I trust I don’t have to give you the whole ‘if you hurt my boy’ speech?”

“Mum!” Louis groaned, mortified.

“No ma’am,” Harry answered, eyes wide and sincere.

He looked as if he were prepared to swear an oath in blood right then and there, if Jay requested it.

“And that goes both ways,” Jay added, giving Louis a piercing look, “I speak for Anne when I say that if you hurt Harry-”

“Yes, yes! We get it, Mum. Thank you,” Louis interrupted, his face the colour of a tomato, “No hurting of any kind is going to happen. Bye now!”

“Bye now!” Dex copied him, tone and all.

Jay gave them a fond grin and blew them a kiss before grabbing her car keys and rushing out the door.

“Will she be safe?” Louis asked in a whisper, “Driving to work by herself?”

Harry tilted his head to the right, eyes closed as he listened to something.

“Niall’s just down the road,” he said after a moment, “He’s volunteered to follow Jay’s car to the hospital. She’ll be safe.”

Louis felt himself relax. 

“So…what should we do while we wait for the Betas to get back?” he asked.

“We could clean up your room,” Harry suggested, a frown on his face, “Maybe air it out.”

“We could,” Louis hummed, a coy smile on his lips, “Or…”

He trailed off, glancing down at Dex, who was staring up at him with interest. Louis sighed, changing track.

“Uh…we could…watch a movie?”

“Sure,” Harry agreed easily, the smirk on his face letting Louis know that he knew exactly what Louis had been about to suggest.

It’s not that Louis wanted to rush things but…well, he had wanted this for so long that there was only a certain amount of kissing he could take before he craved more. Unfortunately, being surrounded by a pack of Betas and a child wasn’t the most conducive atmosphere for what Louis had in mind. 

Harry let out a low growl, undoubtedly sensing Louis’ frustration and desire through their bond. 

“Dada?” Dex enquired, his forehead furrowed with confusion at his dad’s growls.

“Get yourself under control, Harold. There are children present,” Louis grinned at the Alpha, getting a swat on his arse for the trouble. 

Louis rolled his eyes and reached for Dex, lifting the boy into his arms. He grabbed his backpack, which the Betas had brought with them, and walked towards the living room. He seated Dex on one of the couches there and grabbed his laptop out of his bag, kneeling to face the child.

“What movie do you feel like watching?”

Louis knew the answer, of course. Ever since Jesy had made the mistake of introducing Dex to animated movies, he had repeatedly been watching-

“Dory!” Dex proclaimed, right on cue, giving Louis his widest smile, “Please?”

Louis chuckled despite himself.

“Well, only because you asked so politely,” he told the toddler, loading the Finding Dory movie on his laptop.

He placed it on the coffee table in front of Dex, adjusting it so the boy could see the screen clearly.

“Ma?” Dex asked, reaching up to tug at the hem of Louis’ sweater, “Coco?”

It probably wasn’t very responsible to give Dex Coco Pops for lunch but Louis also couldn’t bring himself to deny the boy.

“Alright. You stay here and watch the movie while I fix you a bowl.”

Dex nodded happily, his gaze returning to the screen.

Louis smiled to himself, heading for the kitchen. He had barely stepped into the room before Harry was crowding him in against the nearest wall.

“Harry? Wh..we can’t…” Louis briefly lost his ability to speak when he felt Harry drag his lips up the line of his neck and along his jaw, sucking a noticeable mark onto the skin there. 

The Alpha’s arms caged Louis in, his mouth finding Louis’ and pressing a hard kiss onto those pliant lips.

“What are we doing?” Louis asked, slightly dazed, when Harry pulled back from the kiss.

“Don’t know. I can barely think straight when I’m around you,” Harry said in response, his voice a slow rumble.

Louis shivered, feeling himself harden in his pants from just the sound of it.

“We can’t,” Louis managed to say, his voice a breathy whisper, “Not with Dex here.”

Harry growled, his lips finding Louis’ again as he pressed their bodies close.

“You’re right,” Harry murmured between one kiss and the next, “We can’t. Not right now.”

His kisses belayed his words.

“Not helping,” Louis mumbled to the wolf but his hands stayed where they were, clutching onto Harry’s shirt.

“You have no idea how fucking crazy you make me,” Harry nipped at Louis’ bottom lip, “I want to constantly devour you, Lou. It’s very…distracting.”

Louis took a sharp breath, biting back a moan when Harry laved his tongue over the love bite he had made on Louis’ jaw.

“Hazza-”

“Two more days.”

Louis frowned. Two more days until what? 

“The Blue Moon run,” Harry breathed against his jaw, teasing the skin there with soft nibbles, “The whole pack’s going to be out for hours but we’ll be at the Manor, waiting to welcome Zayn and Liam after their bonding.”

“Yeah,” Louis nodded, gasping when Harry started sucking a new mark on his neck, “But what does that have to do with… _ohh_.”

Louis swallowed loudly, his breath hitching when Harry nuzzled against the crook of his neck. He felt himself twitch in his pants and had to consciously repress the urge to beg Harry to continue.

“Liam and Zayn have to spend the night at the Manor,” he pointed out instead, “Won’t they be able to like, _smell_ what we do?”

He could think of nothing more embarrassing! Harry chuckled, nosing at the mark he had made on Louis’ skin.

“Our bedroom’s scent-proof. We just have to remember to lock the door,” Harry answered and Louis felt a warm feeling shoot through him at the thought of the bedroom at the Manor belonging to both of them.

“We’ll still have Dex with us,” Louis reminded Harry, trying to stay clear-headed and rational because he wasn’t a horny sixteen year old anymore.

“Not if we can convince your mum to mind him for the night,” Harry stated in a seductive purr, “It might be the only opportunity we get to have the Manor all to ourselves. No Betas, no children, no threats to worry about…up to you though.”

Louis inhaled a shaky breath. 

“No fair,” he croaked out, “I’ll talk to Mum. See if she can babysit for the night.”

Harry growled approvingly, bending down for one last kiss before finally moving back and putting some space between them.

“Better keep it PG for now then,” Harry grinned at him.

“And what about in two days?” Louis asked, hoarsely.

Harry’s flashing eyes were filled with promise.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
Dex fell asleep halfway through the movie, which was when Louis remembered the tape; the one George had left for him in his will. After the disaster date with Lachlan, Louis had shoved it in his backpack and promptly forgotten about it.

“You should watch it,” Harry’s voice startled him out of his thoughts.

Louis looked at the wolf, who nodded towards Louis’ backpack.

“I’m not sure I like your new-found ability to read my thoughts,” Louis frowned at the wolf.

Harry chuckled, shaking his head.

“I didn’t read your mind. You muttered that out loud.”

Oh. Well then.

“I’d love to watch it but I don’t actually have anything to play it on,” Louis sighed out.

“Doesn’t your mum still have that player we used to watch home videos on?”

Louis’ mouth fell open.

“Y..you remember that?”

They hadn’t watched the old home videos for years, not since Anne’s death. 

“Of course I do!” Harry looked insulted that Louis would ever think otherwise, “My favourite was the one of you wearing fake wolf ears because Nick told you that you weren’t a wolf.”

Louis groaned.

“I can’t believe your mum actually filmed that!”

“I’m so glad she did,” Harry replied, a smile stretching over his face, “We should watch those again…after we take care of the threat and the rogue Alpha.”

Louis nodded. The threat was a constant worry in his mind, mostly because they had no idea who or what they were dealing with. Then there was the rogue Alpha, who they hadn’t caught any whiff of since the tyre incident. And now, they got to add an intruder to the mix!

“I think Mum put all the home videos and the player up in the attic somewhere,” Louis said, clearing his throat, “There’s a lot of junk up there that-”

“I’ll find it,” Harry stated confidently, tapping his nose and getting up from the couch.

It only took Harry fifteen minutes to find the player and bring it down. 

“Dex and I can wait upstairs while you watch,” Harry offered, in case Louis wanted privacy but Louis shook his head.

“No, I’d rather you stay…if that’s okay?”

“Of course, Lou,” Harry stated at once, settling back on the couch. 

Louis snagged the tape from out of his backpack and passed it to Harry, who inserted it into the player. 

“What do you think it’s about?” Louis whispered, pressing play on the remote.

Harry shrugged, throwing an arm over Louis’ shoulder and pulling the human closer.

“We’re about to find out,” he answered.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

_  
The video had started with a small clip of Louis climbing up trees in the Montgomery pack’s backyard while Harry watched on. Some of the Montgomery Betas were with him, helping Louis climb higher. Then, the screen had changed to show George, as Louis remembered him from all those years ago._

_“Hello Louis,” George started to speak, “If you’re watching this video then…well, then something unexpected has happened and I’m not there to tell you this in person.”_

_George cleared his throat._

_“I should probably start by telling you that you’re nine years old at the moment,” he nodded towards the crop of trees where a younger Louis was playing, “It’s your first visit to our pack’s territory, thanks to young Harry refusing to spend summers away from you.”_

_George chuckled._

_“Anne still hasn’t figured out that you two are destined to be,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes, “I think Sarah’s beginning to see it. But then again, you haven’t figured it out yourselves just yet. And chances are, you won’t. Not for a long time. Not until you both turn eighteen.”_

“Well, we missed that mark,” Louis muttered from where he sat on the couch, watching the telly, “Took us a while longer.” 

“To be fair,” Harry replied, “When you turned eighteen, I wasn’t here. Maybe if I was…” 

He trailed off, giving Louis an apologetic look, which the human quashed at once. 

“I never blamed you for that,” Louis told the wolf, sternly, “And I never will. You left so you could be there for Dex. That’s more important.” 

Harry opened his mouth to say something but George’s voice interrupted him. 

The older wolf was talking again, his eyes fixed on the camera that was filming him. 

_“It’s normal for an Alpha to be protective of their mate. Harry’s reactions around you, even as young as you both are, isn’t surprising. I figured out you were each other’s the moment you stepped onto our land,” George ran a hand through his short hair, “But there was something I didn’t get. The way he seems to need you every second of every day. When you’re apart, even for something as short as a game of hide and seek, Harry gets agitated, as do you. It got me thinking.”_

Louis frowned, leaning towards the screen. 

_“And then, this morning, I saw something that couldn’t be explained by anything else, which is why I decided to make this video,” George’s face turned serious, “This morning, Harry and Caroline had a fight. He’s still a pup and so is she. They’re both future Alphas. They should have been on equal footing in a physical battle but Harry managed to partially-shift and overpower her. And the only explanation I could find for the incident was…well, **you**.”_

“What the fuck?” Louis muttered under his breath, glancing over at Harry, who looked just as confused. 

_“You see, you were talking to the other Betas but suddenly, you turned to watch the fight,” George continued, “A few seconds after that, Harry won, almost as if he had been given an extra surge of power. Almost as if you merely focusing on him had boosted his strength.”_

_George smiled._

_“I was skeptical at first. After all, you’re only nine! And a human as well. It would be…rare. Very rare. But I can’t find any other explanation for it. And,” George murmured, almost as if to himself, “The story does say the first was a human.”_

_George nodded his head, as if he had come to a decision._

_“There’s a legend among us werewolves that I think you need to know,” George began, “It is said that when the very first werewolf pack roamed the lands, their Alpha found an unconventional mate. His mate was a witch, a being most werewolves fear but the Alpha was so devoted to her that he handed her the rights to his territory. Every river, every tree and every blade of grass that belonged to the pack was ruled by her. She guarded the territory and the pack but unfortunately, she had a short life. As her last days on earth approached, she decided to pass on her powers, the powers that had protected the land for all these years, to someone. But to pick just one member of her loyal pack was too difficult a task. Instead, the witch dispersed her powers, spreading them evenly among the members of her pack. These powers then came to be known as ‘pack bonds’, a magical connection that is an integral part of every werewolf pack. It is these invisible bonds between members that give a pack its strength.”_

“I remember Mum telling me this story,” Harry whispered and Louis reached out, interlinking his fingers with the wolf’s. 

_“A few months after the witch's death, the Alpha found a baby girl that had been abandoned in his territory. The child was human and not remarkable in any way but something about her made the Alpha decide to adopt her as his own. The pack raised the baby and, over time, she was given a share of the magical bond too, forged from the deep connection she had with the pack. Except, unlike the other pack members, she could visibly see these bonds and she could touch them, alter them in any way she wished. She could channel her own energy into the bonds to make pack members stronger or faster; she could take the magical energy in these bonds and form a shield around their territory; she could manipulate the bonds to both strengthen or weaken the wolves. She became known as the guardian of the witch’s magic, the protector of the pack bonds and the spirit of the pack. They called her Numen.”_

_George chuckled._

_“This is said to be the origin story of Numens, who, over the years, have faded into nothing more than myth. But they are not a myth,” George stated, voice sharp, “I knew one- my great-aunt.”_

Louis blinked, trying to understand where George was going with all this. 

_“My Aunt taught me that a Numen is a being who possesses the oldest form of magic. They are healers and protectors; the most powerful connection between a pack and their land. They are a pack’s biggest asset and their most deadly weapon. There’s a reason the Winston pack is considered to be one of the most powerful packs of our time. When my Aunt was alive, not a single supernatural creature dared to step foot on Winston soil without her express permission. The Alpha could kill them, yes. But she could break them to the point where death became a mercy they begged for.”_

_George paused for a moment before continuing._

_“What I’m trying to tell you is that a Numen is a being of great power. Harnessing that power is no easy task. At least, not without one of these.”_

_George held up a book bound in black leather. In fact, it looked very similar to the diary Louis had taken from James Corden._

_“My Aunt asked me to hold onto this book. She called it the Guidebook and it’s a training manual of sorts. It can only be read by one who possesses some form of magic. When she left this in my keep, she told me to keep an eye out for the next Numen to roam these lands. Perhaps she thought it would be someone from this pack…but it’s not.”_

_George took a deep breath, his gaze unwavering on the camera as he said, “ **You** are the next Numen, Louis. The first one in decades. And, as far as I’m aware, the only one in the last century that has been human.”_

“He’s kidding, right?” Louis turned his wide-eyed gaze to Harry, who looked just as shocked. 

_“Your powers won’t fully manifest until you understand your true position in the pack and come into contact with a Guidebook,” George continued, the video recording not privy to Louis’ slight nervous breakdown, “The small outbursts of magic, such as the one I witnessed this morning, will be unnoticeable to anyone that doesn’t know what to look for. I doubt even Anne has realised. But there will come a time when you will need this.”_

_George tapped on the cover of the leather book._

_“I’ll leave it among my library books in the Montgomery pack house,” he added._

_He smiled, “If you choose not to pick up a Guidebook, your powers will remain relatively dormant but once you touch one, you must learn how to control it. You are powerful, Louis, and if you don’t learn to harness your powers, it can be dangerous for both yourself and your pack. I know you might not ever want to take on this role but you were born a Numen. It’s a part of who you are and if you spend the rest of your life hiding from that…well. Would you really be living at all? The final decision is in your hands. When you feel the time is right, let your instincts lead you. This Guidebook is yours to keep, whenever you feel ready. Good luck to you. With everything.”_

_George gave the camera one last smile before the video cut off, leaving Louis’ world forever changed.  
_

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

To say Louis was shocked would be an understatement. At one point while watching the video, he had felt as if he were about to have a panic attack.

“Lou,” Harry breathed next to him, causing him to stare at the wolf whose face was just as pale as his own, “Just because he said that…it doesn’t mean you _are_ one. My mum always told me it was a myth-”

“But most myths stem from truth. You said so yourself,” Louis said.

“You…believe him,” Harry deduced.

Louis shrugged, sweeping his fringe back with one hand.

“I just…I need to know for sure,” he whispered, “If I’m a…a Numen, it might explain the strange tingling sensations I’ve been feeling. Maybe that’s my magic and maybe I’m tired because I’ve been subconsciously trying to control that magic or…or because I haven’t started training it yet.”

Harry gave him a long look.

“You’re going to visit the Montgomerys to get the book, aren’t you?”

“I think I have to,” Louis whispered back, “You heard what he said. Until I learn to control it, I’m a danger to the pack.”

“ _Louis_ ,” Harry reached for him, pulling him closer and leaning down to press a soft kiss to his lips.

But they both knew that any reassurances Harry uttered would be a lie. Neither of them had any way of knowing whether George was telling the truth but they also couldn’t chance it, not when it meant the possibility of physical danger to Louis and the rest of the pack.

“I’m coming with you,” Harry stated when he pulled back, leaning his forehead against Louis’.

“Not this time, Hazza,” Louis answered and, before Harry could protest, added, “I’ll take some of the Betas with me. Dex needs you here.”

“The Betas can take care of him for a couple of hours,” Harry frowned.

Louis bit his lip.

“I trust them with my life, you know that,” he said, slowly, “But if we both leave, the territory’s vulnerable. If the rogue wolf or some other danger shows up, the Betas aren’t going to be able to defend it _and_ keep an eye on Dex at the same time. You need to stay here. Especially after last night.”

He shuddered at the thought of the Alpha returning. 

Harry growled, his lips turning down into a pout but he couldn’t argue against the logic of Louis’ reasons.

“Fine,” Harry finally said, “But only if you agree to let me pick which Betas you take with you.”

“Fine,” Louis agreed, pulling the wolf down into another kiss. 

The plan was simple- visit the Montgomery pack, get the Guidebook, figure out if he was a Numen as George had said and, if he was, train himself so his powers wouldn’t be a danger to the pack.

“Stop thinking so hard,” Harry murmured against his lips, "Everything’s going to work out.”

Louis really hoped so!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a challenge to write. I promise the next one will be more exciting :)  
> Comments and kudos are, as always, cherished <3 xx


	14. XIV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the love and support you've shown for this fic! I hope you enjoy this long chapter! <3 xx

Louis stared at the assembled Betas, his mouth agape.

“When I agreed to let you pick who I took with me, I didn’t mean half the bloody pack!”

Harry just smirked at him.

“A deal’s a deal, Lou,” the wolf stated, a smug look on his face.

“I can’t even fit them all in my car!” Louis protested.

“Oh, don’t worry about that, Alpha,” Liam said, trying to be helpful, “I already hired a van for us.”

“Yeah, Lou,” Harry grinned, a shit-eating grin on his face, “It’s all taken care of.”

He pointed out the window and there, on Louis’ driveway, was a white van that hadn’t been there that morning.

Louis sighed. Liam, Nick, Perrie, Cara and Niall were looking at him with hope-filled eyes. Ever since Harry had found out about the threat, none of them had been allowed to leave the pack territory. Being able to leave for the afternoon was a treat!

“Okay, fine,” Louis muttered, not being able to bring himself to deny those hopeful looks, “But I’m not being the driver.”

Liam immediately volunteered himself for the position and headed outside to, “check that everything’s in order.” Perrie and Niall followed after him, the latter’s arms laden with granola bars.

“It’s only a three hour trip,” Louis heard Perrie remind the blonde wolf.

“Exactly!” Niall exclaimed, “We could starve to death without these!”

“Jesus Christ,” Harry muttered under his breath, “He’s always so fucking dramatic.”

Louis was thankful that Dex, at least, was in the kitchen with Cara and Aidan. If the toddler knew he was leaving for the evening, he would cling to him and beg to come along. Seeing Dex cry was heartbreaking but taking him out of the Styles territory when there was an unknown murderer and a rogue Alpha on the loose, was not an option. 

“Lou,” Harry’s hand wrapped around his wrist, drawing Louis’ attention away from his thoughts, “I’ll take care of Dex. Don’t worry.”

Louis gave him an apologetic smile. He had been unintentionally projecting his feelings of worry through their bond. 

“Yeah, I know you will,” Louis answered, stepping closer so he could reach up and tug Harry down into a kiss.

The wolf obliged at once, pressing his lips over Louis’ with a happy sigh. He whined when Louis pulled away.

“If I don’t leave now, we’re not going to get back before nightfall,” Louis reminded Harry, who growled at the thought of his mate being away for that long.

The Alpha couldn’t quite bring himself to let go of Louis yet though. He leant forward and nosed at the crook of Louis’ neck, scenting him.

“I’ve called Alpha Montgomery,” Harry murmured in an attempt to distract his mate as he continued to nuzzle along the exposed skin of Louis’ neck, “She’s expecting you.”

“Great,” Louis breathed out, his fingers tangling in Harry’s soft curls.

Harry hummed in approval, his lips now pressing firm kisses up the column of Louis’ throat.

“Chances are, you’ll see the Montgomery Beta,” Harry added, his voice too casual to be meaningless.

Louis pushed Harry away with a raised eyebrow.

“Are you scenting me so Lachlan will know I’m yours?”

“…no?”

Louis’ brow raised higher in clear disbelief.

“Okay…maybe a bit,” Harry answered, a soft flush coating his cheeks, “He took you out on a _date_ , Lou!”

Louis rolled his eyes, fondly.

“And we agreed to part as friends. You already know that because I’m positive you listened in on our conversation,” he reminded the Alpha, who ducked his head guiltily, “Besides, he’s not going to miss _this_ a second time.”

Louis pointed to the necklace he wore, which displayed the Styles’ crest.

Harry felt his tense muscles unclench a little as he reached out to smooth his palm over the necklace. It was an important and meaningful symbol in so many ways. It marked Louis as an integral part of his pack, a claim no one could ever contest; it marked him as his co-Alpha and mate. 

Harry’s thumb purposefully brushed against a small patch of reddened skin on Louis’ collarbone, where an hour-old love bite stood out in stark contrast. Louis shivered, narrowing his eyes at the smirking wolf.

“Feeling a tad possessive, Alpha?”

Harry’s eyes darkened at the term, one which Louis so rarely used to address him. It made his wolf stir restlessly and he had to fight back the part of him that was tempted to push Louis against the nearest wall to show him just how possessive Harry could be.

“Very,” Harry replied, his voice coming out as a deep growl despite his best efforts, “Can you blame me?”

Louis bit his lip, peeking up at Harry from beneath his eyelashes. Harry felt his breath catch in his throat as the younger man swayed closer…only to suddenly be yanked back by someone.

Harry growled at the same time Louis asked, “What the fuck?”

“As much as I love watching you both undress each other with your eyes, we need to get going,” Nick told him with a pointed look at Harry, “Unless you’ve changed your mind about getting that book and would rather have sex on the living room floor?”

“Don’t give them ideas!” Liam’s voice carried through the doorway, “Carpet cleaning costs a fortune!”

“Can we disown them all?” Harry asked Louis with a frustrated growl.

Nick scoffed.

“You’d miss us too much.”

“I think I could learn to live with it,” Harry muttered back.

Louis smiled at the exchange, glancing towards the front yard, where he could hear Cara, Perrie and Niall squabbling over who got which seats in the van.

“You’re the youngest!” Cara was snarling at Niall, “You get the middle!”

“Duty calls, love,” Louis said with a grin, pressing a quick kiss to Harry’s cheek before turning away from him, “I’ll see you when I get back.”

“Tease,” Harry’s voice whined behind them, the wolf’s longing travelling through their shared bond.

Louis smiled and sent back a wave of warm affection, as close to an ‘I love you’, as he could send through the bond.

Him and Harry still couldn’t project their exact thoughts to each other unless they were in physical contact but sending feelings through was getting easier by the day.

Louis didn’t turn around to check but he could _feel_ Harry’s smile and his happiness thrumming through their bond. And, if Louis wore a matching smile on his face and had to deal with ten minutes of teasing remarks from his Betas, it was still worth it.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

_It’s not that Louis didn’t enjoy the opportunity to cuddle with Harry but he just didn’t see why it was necessary._

_“Why do I have to smell like you?” the nine-year old asked his best friend, shifting around in Harry’s lap so he could face him._

_Harry didn’t answer, just tugged at the tips of Louis’ hair until the younger boy tilted his head back and exposed his throat for Harry to scent._

_“Because,” Anne’s voice floated into the room, “The Montgomery pack don’t have any humans among them. This will be the first time most of them have come face to face with someone that isn’t a wolf. The more you’re covered in the scent of pack, the better protected you’ll be.”_

_Anne walked into the room, brushing a hand over Louis’ hair._

_“Be gentle, Harry,” she reminded her son, who was pressing wet kisses down Louis’ throat, “He already smells like you. Give the rest of the pack a chance to scent him as well.”_

_She nodded at Nick, who was sitting on the sofa next to Harry and Louis._

_Harry growled, warningly, when Nick edged closer._

_“The Alpha asked me to-” Nick began, pompously, but he didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence before Harry shoved him off the couch, clutching Louis closer to him._

_Louis burst out into laughter and Anne had nothing to say except a shocked, “Harry! Manners!”_

_* * *_

_As the car entered Montgomery territory, Louis knew he reeked of the Styles pack, having spent the night cuddling with Harry and the younger pack Betas._

_Despite that, Anne still pressed a kiss to his forehead before letting him get out of the car._

_She stood in front of Louis as the Montgomery pack gathered around them, curious of the human, and her stance remained protective when Alpha Sarah Montgomery stepped forward._

_She was no longer the faceless wolf Louis had heard so much about from Anne and Harry. She was now a living presence; a figure of power and grace, standing before him._

_Harry stood beside Louis, one of his arms wrapped around Louis’ shoulder and his chin tilted up in a defiant pose. A part of Louis wished the Styles’ Betas were here too but Anne had explained that she needed the pack to stay behind to guard their territory._

_“This is Louis Tomlinson,” Anne announced to the Montgomery wolves at large, “He’s an important member of my pack.”_

_A girl who stood next to Alpha Montgomery scrunched up her nose as if she had smelt something unpleasant._

_“But he’s a human,” she stated._

_Harry gave a low growl, his eyes starting to flash._

_“Caroline!” Alpha Montgomery fixed a firm glare of warning on her daughter before turning back to Anne, “I apologise on her behalf. Any member of the Styles pack shall always be welcome here.”_

_Her eyes studied Louis for a moment and Louis physically felt Harry tense up next to him._

_“May I?” Alpha Montgomery asked, taking a step forward and holding out her hand._

_Anne hesitated briefly before stepping aside and nodding to Harry, who reluctantly relinquished his hold on Louis._

_“She wants to welcome you to her land,” Harry whispered in Louis’ ear, pushing the nine-year old boy forward, “It’s tradition.”_

_Perhaps Harry could sense his nerves for he stayed right behind him, serving as a steady presence of safety, which helped calm Louis down. This was, after all, the first time Louis had met a werewolf outside of those in his pack._

_“Hello Louis Tomlinson,” Alpha Montgomery smiled down at him, shaking his hand, “Welcome to Montgomery territory. Let me introduce you to my pack.”_

_She gestured to the wolves that were stationed behind her, rattling off names and positions in the pack hierarchy. Louis didn’t pay much attention, knowing he would never be able to remember it all, until a man stepped forward. His eyes were kindly and they had a curious spark in them as he reached out to shake Louis’ hand._

_“Hello,” the man grinned at him, glancing at Harry, “I’m George. The Alpha’s brother and the best Beta you will ever meet.”_

_He winked at Louis, jokingly._

_Louis found himself grinning and then, because he had no filter, blurting out, “I thought you’d be an Alpha too!”_

_It was a fair question, he thought. After all, George’s sister was an Alpha. Didn’t the gene run in families?_

_George chuckled, ruffling his hair._

_“Ah, if only! The Alpha gene gets passed down to the oldest sibling. But between you and me, I reckon I got the better deal.”_

_“Why’s that?” Louis asked, curiosity piqued._

_“Sarah’s got the power of command but I’m the one who got the good looks,” George answered with a wink._

_“Oi!” Alpha Montgomery grinned, knocking her brother lightly over the head, “Take that back!”_

_The Montgomery pack seemed to relax as their Alpha and her brother continued to playfully bicker. Louis felt himself relax as well as his view of Sarah Montgomery shifted. She was the Alpha, yes, but she was also just another person, with a family and a pack._

_Spending the summer with the Montgomery pack suddenly didn’t seem as terrifying as it had earlier this morning!_

__

 

The Montgomery territory had changed very little since the last time Louis had seen it. The trees had grown taller and thicker, some of the marked paths had become slightly worse for wear but overall, it was still easy for him to recognise the road Liam took towards the Montgomery pack house.

If the Styles’ pack house was a manor, the Montgomerys’ was an estate. Liam slowed down the car as he steered them along the long drive, which had a marble sign that stated ‘Montgomery Estate’. Niall had his face pressed against the van’s windows, staring in awe at the place. 

The Styles pack were just as well-off as the Montgomerys, both their fortunes having been amassed over the generations through inheritance. But unlike Anne (and now Harry), Sarah Montgomery liked her fortune and power to be displayed for all to see. 

“Fuck,” Niall breathed out, “What’s the inside like?”

Louis knew from experience that everything inside the house was top of the range when it came to price and looks but not when it came to comfort.

“If you’re offered a seat, avoid the carved wooden sofas,” Louis told Niall, “They might look lovely but they leave you with a sore bum for days. Trust me.”

“Why the hell would anyone have _wooden_ sofas?” Nick asked.

“It’s a sign of prestige,” Perrie answered before Louis could offer a similar reply, “It used to be a customary gift that was given to a pack by their allies when they had come to their defence. The tradition died out about a century ago.”

“Not for the Montgomery pack, it hasn’t,” Louis informed them, “They’re still quite traditional.”

On either side of the house were sprawling fields, divided into gardens that contained fruiting plants. Louis remembered picking strawberries in one of those gardens as a child. He had ended up eating them all in one go and getting a tummy ache, which had resulted in Harry acting as his personal nurse for the next 24 hours, much to the amusement of all the adult wolves.

“What’s that building over there?” Cara asked from the backseat, pointing towards a smaller, black-marbled building that was set a few yards away from the main house. 

The building had a path leading up to it, lined with red rose bushes.

“It’s another traditional thing. They call it the Memorial,” Louis explained, “There are empty marble tombs inside that are engraved with names of past pack members who passed away, either in battle or due to natural causes. It’s a way for the pack to honour their dead and their contributions over the generations.”

He imagined that by now, George’s name would have been carved onto one of the tombs. When Louis had last visited the Montgomery pack, him and Harry had snuck inside the Memorial to hide from Caroline. Anne had found them and calmly explained why playing in there wasn’t appropriate.

“It’s an important place for the Montgomery pack,” Anne had told them, impressing the seriousness of the situation onto them, “It houses the memories of their loved ones. We have to treat it with respect.”

She had then shown them the names of past Montgomery pack members, which had been carved there by the pack’s Alphas over the years. Harry and Louis had understood it was a sacred place and never returned there again. 

“Alpha,” Liam’s voice brought Louis out of his memories, “Is that…Alpha Montgomery?”

Louis glanced in the direction Liam was looking in and spotted a black car. It was parked at the end of the drive, its engine still running and climbing out of it was Sarah Montgomery and her daughter, Caroline. They were both decked in formal black robes, emblazoned with the Montgomery pack crest.

“They look as if they’ve just come back from a funeral,” Perrie remarked from her seat in the back.

“They have,” Louis answered, remembering, “The Corden pack’s funeral service for their Beta was today.”

“Weren’t we invited?” Nick asked with a frown.

“We were but…well, you know how Harry gets with funerals. Ever since his mum’s…” Louis trailed off but the Betas knew what he meant. 

Harry had hated funerals since his mum’s death. As a result, if there was a funeral held in any pack that were allies of the Styles’, Harry would call the Alpha and send his condolences, apologising profusely for not being able to make it.

“James understood,” Louis added, remembering the phone call.

Liam brought the van to a slow stop, a few metres behind the black car. Louis took a deep breath before he opened the door and stepped out, Perrie, Niall and Cara trailing behind him. Liam and Nick flanked him on either side, staying just half a step behind Louis in a prominent display of the pack hierarchy.

“Fuck, I hate the formality of this,” Louis whispered to Liam, who gave him a helpless shrug.

“It’s protocol,” he answered back, taking care to remain half a step behind Louis even as he spoke, “We have to follow it, especially in front of a pack that’s as traditional as the Montgomerys.”

Louis really hated the formality but he understood. Publicly displaying the respect the Betas had for their Alpha was seen as a sign of strength within a pack and, when in another Alpha’s territory, it was essential that the pack showed no signs of weakness. Even if said Alpha was an ally of theirs.

“Yeah, I know,” Louis sighed, squaring his shoulders before moving forward to greet Alpha Montgomery.

A small crowd of Betas had gathered by the front door as soon as they had heard the van.

Caroline, Louis noticed out of the corner of his eyes, stood a few steps behind her mum but half a step ahead of the other Betas, in the position accorded to a future Alpha. She looked different from the last time he had seen her. Gone were the jealous looks and barely-concealed disdain she usually greeted him with. Instead, Caroline wore a cheerful look on her face. 

“Alpha Tomlinson,” Sarah Montgomery greeted him, holding out a hand, which Louis promptly shook, “It’s been too long since we last saw each other in person!”

“It has indeed,” Louis answered, picturing Anne’s funeral and the brief hug they had exchanged in shared grief, “We’re terribly sorry for intruding like this.”

“Nonsense!” Sarah smiled and nodded to the Betas, whose faces were masks of polished politeness, “It’s always a pleasure to welcome members of the Styles pack to our land. Do come in!”

She was about to lead them inside when she noticed that Niall, Cara and Perrie were staring at the Memorial.

“Would you like to see inside it?” she asked, a smile quirking up her lips when the three Betas gave her startled looks, faces turning red.

“Oh..i..if it’s not too much trouble,” Cara stammered out, glancing at Louis to make sure he was alright with it.

“It’s not a problem at all,” Sarah assured them, “Caroline can show you.”

Caroline glanced at her mum, her expression startled. She had clearly not been paying attention, despite the smile she wore. Alpha Montgomery gave her daughter a reproachful look before turning to Louis and the Betas.

“Alpha Tomlinson, we can talk in my office while your Betas explore the Memorial,” she offered.

Before Louis could answer, Nick quietly interjected with, “Actually, Liam and I would prefer to accompany our Alpha.”

A look of surprise crossed Sarah’s face, followed swiftly by the first hint of anger.

“I can assure you, I pose no threat to your Alpha,” she answered, her tone sharp.

“It’s just a safety precaution we take whenever we’re in unfamiliar territory,” Liam, ever the diplomat, said, “We don’t mean to offend you in any way, Alpha Montgomery.”

Sarah’s face softened slightly but she still turned to face Louis for confirmation.

“Is that true? This is a normal safety precaution?”

No. No it wasn’t, but Louis wasn’t going to put his Betas on the line.

“Yes,” he nodded, hoping his voice sounded sincere, “It’s a part of the new pack rules we recently established. Can never be too careful, right?”

“Everyone has a weakness,” Caroline suddenly murmured, almost as if she were quoting something.

Something about the younger wolf’s tone sent a chill through Louis. Liam and Nick edged closer to him, sensing his unease.

Caroline glanced up at Louis and, for just a second, her eyes seemed to hold a trace of fear. Before Louis could be certain, it was gone and the oddly cheerful look was back. 

Sarah Montgomery didn’t seem to notice her daughter’s odd behaviour.

“I suppose it does make sense for your Betas to be overprotective,” Sarah said, acceptingly, “I apologise. I didn’t mean to seem rude. It’s just…I’ve had a very strange morning. It’s made me a bit defensive.”

Sarah turned and gestured to her Betas, who dispersed back into the house, understanding that she didn’t want them listening in.

“Caroline,” she said, turning to her daughter, “Could you show these Betas the Memorial?”

For a second, it seemed as if Caroline wanted to refuse but then, she caught sight of Niall and gave an enthusiastic nod.

“Of course,” she repeated, gesturing to Niall, Perrie and Cara, “This way.”

Louis frowned as he watched her lead the Betas towards the Memorial, already chattering on about the history of the place. He couldn’t place his finger on it but something about the wolf was different. Perhaps, Louis told himself, Caroline had just grown up? 

Sarah asked them to follow her to her office. Louis took his time, purposely falling a bit behind. Nick and Liam remained by his side, instinctively altering their pace to match his.

“Why did you insist on accompanying me?” Louis murmured, low enough that only his two Betas would hear him.

“The unknown threat,” Nick answered, “You’re the intended target, remember?”

Louis gave him an incredulous look.

“Are you saying that you think Alpha Montgomery is the threat?”

“No,” Liam answered, “We’re saying that _anyone_ could be the threat. We’re not in our territory anymore. It’s prudent to treat everyone with suspicion until the threat is neutralised.”

That sounded like something…

“Did Harry ask you to be my bodyguards?” he demanded.

Nick’s poker face couldn’t be cracked but Liam averted his eyes, a clear sign of guilt.

“Oh, for God’s sake…” Louis trailed off as they arrived in front of Alpha Montgomery’s office, “Just…be subtle about it. We don’t want to offend the Montgomery pack. They’ve always been our strongest allies.”

Nick and Liam nodded. Louis stepped inside the office and gave Sarah a smile, his two Betas following him in and shutting the door behind them.

“I assume we can speak freely?” Alpha Montgomery questioned, eyes flitting to Liam and Nick.

“Yes,” Louis nodded, firmly, “I trust my Betas with my life.”

“A trust I’m sure they’ve earned,” Alpha Montgomery smiled, gesturing to the chair in front of her desk.

She dropped all formalities once Louis had taken a seat.

“I was surprised to get Harry’s call this morning. He didn’t tell me much over the phone. All I know is that you need something George left here.”

“A book,” Louis answered, “It looks similar to this one.”

He pulled out the diary Alpha Corden had given him from his backpack, holding it up for Sarah to see.

“A Guidebook,” Sarah breathed out before her lips tightened, eyes darting between the book and Louis, “Who is it for?”

Louis exchanged a glance with his Betas.

“Me,” he finally answered and he heard Sarah’s sharp intake of breath.

“How unusual,” she murmured, more to herself than him, “But of course it’s you. That’s why George was always so fond of hearing about your antics whenever Anne called me. He suspected it was you all along; the first Numen to walk these lands in decades.”

“Look, I don’t know if George was right about me,” Louis informed the wolf, “I don’t know if I’m really a…”

He broke off, still unsure of using the word.

“A Numen,” Sarah filled in for him, “Well, there’s an easy way to check. May I?”

She held out a hand for the book and Louis slowly slid it across the desk to her.

“My Aunt used to tell George and I about these,” Sarah continued, running her hand over the spine of the book, “This is just a training Guide, which contains useful but harmless spells.”

She opened the book, eyes widening when she saw the sketched portrait of Louis on the first page.

“It really is you,” she murmured before catching herself and passing the book back to Louis, tapping at the bottom of the page with her finger, “This Guide has accepted your touch, as you can see. It belongs to you now, until you outgrow its use.”

There at the bottom of the page, printed in clear, green letters were Louis’ name and title.

“Styles pack Numen,” Louis read out loud, “Fuck.”

This was really happening. He was a…a Numen. 

Louis blushed as he remembered where he was and opened his mouth to apologise for swearing but Sarah was talking again.

“The original Guidebook used to belong to my great-aunt. It was passed down to her from the Corden pack’s Numen. I suppose you’re next in line to inherit it now that my Aunt is gone.”

“But…I’ve already got this one,” Louis pointed out, “If it’ll help me train my powers-”

“The Guide will only help you to get started,” Sarah corrected him, “Once you’ve understood the basics, it will no longer be useful to you. The Guidebook, on the other hand, contains spells that are both dark and dangerous; spells that will challenge you and excite you, ones that can tempt you into danger or enshroud you in safety. My Aunt used to describe it as ‘having the pack at your fingertips’.”

Sarah suddenly turned serious, her eyes assessing, “I trust that you only want what’s best for your pack but I need your word that you will not use the Guidebook to cause harm. I need you to promise me, to swear on Harry’s life that you will be responsible with it.”

Louis knew his eyes had gone wide. He hadn’t known the Guidebook that George wanted him to have was such a big deal! 

“I..I promise,” he stammered out, hoping his eyes conveyed his sincerity. 

Sarah watched him for a long moment before suddenly breaking into a smile.

“Good,” she gave him a nod, “I’m sure my Aunt would have approved of her successor. The Guidebook is among George’s collection in the pack library.”

“You keep something that’s supposed to be so dangerous in a place with such easy access?” Nick asked, raising an eyebrow.

For a moment, Louis thought Sarah would be offended but the Alpha simply nodded.

“Hidden in plain sight as they say,” she answered, “Besides, no one can actually open the damn thing unless they possess magic. Trust me. George and I tried plenty of times when we were kids.”

She turned her gaze back to Louis again and he could tell there was something more she wanted to say.

“What is it?” he asked, noting her tense frame.

“This is going to sound odd. I know you came here on official business but if I don’t talk this over with someone…”

Sarah ran a hand through her hair, pushing it back over her shoulders. 

“I mentioned it earlier, that I’ve had an odd morning.”

Louis nodded, encouraging her to continue.

“When Caroline and I attended the Corden pack funeral today, we met members of other packs that had come for the ceremony as well,” Sarah’s fingers drummed nervously on the desk in front of her, “And maybe…maybe I’m just being paranoid but there was one Beta who…”

She trailed off again.

“What is it, Alpha Montgomery?” Louis asked, softly, leaning forward in his seat to take her hand, “You can trust us.”

“I know I can,” Sarah squeezed Louis’ hand with a small laugh, “You remind me more and more of Anne each time I speak to you.”

She must have seen Louis’ look of surprise for she laughed.

“I used to tell her that when you were younger. I would say, ‘Harry has your looks and Louis has your personality’, and she would answer that between the two of you, the pack was clearly going to be left in good hands.”

Louis felt tears prick at the corner of his eyelids.

“She would be proud of you, you know,” Sarah added, “For the way you kept the pack together when Harry was gone, for the way you lead them now. After she figured out that you and Harry were mates, she used to tell me that you would make an excellent Alpha one day. She’d be pleased to know that she was right.”

Louis was about to answer when he realised something.

“Wait…she…Anne _knew_ about me and Harry?”

“She was a bit slow on the uptake but she eventually clued in on it,” Sarah grinned, “I, on the other hand, was certain of it after that summer you visited us.”

“Apparently everyone knew except us,” Louis muttered.

Sarah chuckled.

“It’s not just you,” she comforted him, “Most true mates are oblivious to it until that moment when it all suddenly clicks.”

Her words reminded Louis of something Liam had once told him; that he hadn’t suspected Zayn was his mate for a long time because he had always thought the feeling of calmness he got around the boy had been a pack thing. It was only once he had turned eighteen that he started to suspect it was something stronger.

“So, what happened at the Corden funeral?” Louis returned to the initial topic they had been discussing.

“We met a..a soothsayer,” Sarah said, her usually calm facade faltering, “They’re not very common anymore. Most packs don’t believe in psychic powers but those that do usually have a Beta among them who takes on the role of the pack soothsayer. This Beta was from the Azoff pack and we rarely venture into their territory so this was the first time I had met her.”

Louis gave her hand another, comforting squeeze.

Sarah took a deep breath and continued.  
“She took one look at Caroline and said there was a dark aura around her. I was shocked, obviously. Caroline just laughed and said she didn’t trust any of that mumbo jumbo. We left soon after that.”

Louis didn’t know much about soothsayers but his primary role here was to reassure Alpha Montgomery, who looked rather upset herself.

“Caroline might have a point” he said, treading carefully, “Is it wise to put stock in what some Beta you just met says? I mean, you _know_ Caroline.”

“Yes,” Sarah answered but she didn’t sound so confident, “It’s just…she’s been-”

She was interrupted by a knock on the door. Louis let go of her hand and she took a moment to compose herself.

“Come in,” she called out and the door opened to reveal a familiar figure. 

“Alpha, have you seen-” Lachlan cut himself off when he saw Louis. 

“Lou…Alpha Tomlinson,” he quickly corrected himself, shooting a glance at Nick and Liam, who had both visibly tensed, “I didn’t know you were visiting.”

“It was a rather sudden plan,” Louis explained.

“What did you need, Lachlan?” Alpha Montgomery asked.

“Oh! Um…it’s nothing urgent. It can wait.”

“Well then, would you mind escorting Alpha Tomlinson and his Betas to the library?” Sarah questioned, “They need to retrieve a book from my brother’s collection.”

“Um…” Lachlan looked at Louis and then at his Betas, unsure as to how to proceed.

Sarah frowned, glancing between him and Louis to try and figure out what the sudden, palpable tension in the room meant. 

“Is there a problem?” she asked after a few seconds of awkward silence.

“No,” Louis gave her a reassuring smile before glancing over at Lachlan, “We’re good, right?”

“Y..yeah! Of course! I was just surprised to see you here. I mean, I..I’d be happy to show you the library,” Lachlan stammered out.

“Thank you Lachlan,” Sarah bestowed a smile on the wolf before standing up from her desk, “We would be honoured to have you and your Betas join us for dinner, Alpha Tomlinson.”

While her tone was formal, the words were said with warmth behind them.

“Thank you for the invitation,” Louis stood up as well, reaching out to shake her hand, “But we’re in a bit of a hurry. We need to head back soon.”

“Another day then,” Alpha Montgomery acquiesced, forgoing the handshake and pulling Louis into a hug, “It’s been lovely seeing you again. Give Harry and his son my best.”

“Will do.” 

Louis smiled at her as he pulled away from the hug and followed Lachlan towards the library, Nick and Liam flanking him on both sides.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Caroline was the friendliest wolf he’d ever met, Niall decided. 

She was attentive, laughed at all his jokes and provided answers to each of his questions without snapping at him for being annoying.

In fact, the only other person who had this much patience for his questions was Louis but he suspected that was simply because Niall was the youngest Beta and the Alpha liked to indulge him. 

“So you carve the name onto one of these tombs after a pack member’s funeral is over?” Niall asked, running a hand over the letters that were scratched onto the white, marble tomb.

“The Alpha of the pack does,” Caroline explained, “So, my mum at the moment but it’ll be me one day.”

“What’s this area then?” Cara’s voice floated over to them.

The Beta was looking at a locked gate that was set apart from the other tombs. Caroline ignored Cara but turned to Niall with a attentive smile, “That area’s reserved for Alphas and their mates. Do you want to see inside?”

“Uh…” Niall glanced at Cara and Perrie, who were both nodding, “Sure. I guess?”

“Alright,” Caroline grabbed his arm, dragging him along to the gate.

She flicked out her claw, inserting it into the lock and, within a few seconds, the door creaked open.

The room they entered was darker than the main area of the Memorial. There was a single tomb at the centre of it, made of black-marble with specks of silver that made it appear as if it were a night sky full of stars. White letters had been carved on the surface of the tomb, denoting the names of past Alphas of the Montgomery pack.

They gathered around it silently. Caroline gave them a few moments to admire it before she pointed to one of the names.

“This was my grandmother, Miriam and Anthony was my grandfather,” she moved her finger up to the name carved right above her grandmother’s, the handwriting slightly shaky, “It’s heartbreaking, really. He died in his sleep- heart attack, they said. Nanna had to carve his name onto the slab. I was quite young but Mum said she was crying so hard she could barely do it. Nanna died just a few weeks later. Losing your mate can do that, you know. Makes you lose your will to live.”

“Fuck! That’s…” Niall gave Caroline an awkward, one-armed hug, “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s bound to happen to us all,” Caroline shrugged, pulling away, “It would be worse for your Alphas though. An Alpha deux bond amplifies all emotions, including pain and loss.”

“Yeah, well,” Niall scratched the back of his neck, uncomfortable with the topic, “They’ve got decades to go, don’t they?”

“Mm,” Caroline hummed, “But you never can tell with these things.”

She gave him another bright smile.

“There’s another name you probably recognise,” she pointed to the side of the marble slab.

Niall squinted, leaning forward to have a look but Perrie beat him to it.

“Anne Styles,” she read out, her voice trembling slightly, “Forever remembered.”

“But I thought this place was only for pack members?” Niall asked.

“It is,” Caroline nodded, “But Mum always said Anne was family. They were practically like sisters. They grew up together, best friends since childhood. She said it felt wrong to not include Anne’s name.”

“The Alphas will appreciate it,” Cara answered, “We all do.”

“Yeah,” Niall nodded in agreement.

Caroline just gave them another smile, grabbing Niall’s hand and leading him back to the main area as Perrie and Cara continued to inspect the tomb.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Well, she was friendly, wasn’t she?” Niall said as they waited by the car for Louis, Liam and Nick to return.

Caroline had left them there after telling them they could wait inside. They had all politely refused, not entirely comfortable with being in another pack’s house. 

“Oh yeah,” Cara smirked, “ _Very_ friendly.”

Her and Perrie exchanged a loaded glance.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Niall frowned, glancing between the two girls.

“Just that,” Perrie answered, “She’s very friendly and helpful…you know, if your name happens to be Niall Horan.”

Niall blinked, letting her words sink in.

“Was she…you think she was flirting with me?”

“Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner,” Cara muttered under her breath, sarcastically.

Niall scrunched up his nose, confused.

“What? You don’t like her?” Perrie asked, a twinkle in her eye.

“Nah, it’s not that,” Niall said, “But…I don’t know. I didn’t get that vibe from her. She seemed more interested in the Alphas’ love life, to be honest.”

“What?” Perrie giggled, “Why would she care about that?”

Niall shrugged. 

“Said she’s a romantic, especially when it comes to true mates and bonds. She even suggested we give them a weekend getaway to celebrate their bonding. I said we couldn’t ‘cause of Dex and she asked how hard it could possibly be to look after a little kid for a couple of days.”

“Huh. Maybe she wasn’t hitting on you then,” Cara sighed, “Good thing Perrie and I didn’t try to play Cupid.”

“I’m telling ya,” Niall stated with a grin, “When I find my mate, no Cupid will be necessary! I’ve got it all planned out. The first thing I’ll do is…”

And off he went, listing all the ways in which he would woo his life partner. Perrie and Cara bore it with saintly patience but each secretly hoped Louis and the others would hurry up and get back!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Montgomery library was an ornate masterpiece. The walls were oak-panelled and the floor was carpeted in red velvet. 

Each of the shelves had gilded edges and every book was slotted into place in perfect, alphabetical order, that showed a level of meticulous attention had been laved on them. 

“This was George’s favourite room,” Lachlan said with a wistful sigh, “None of us have really used it much since he…you know.”

Louis nodded, remembering the friendly wolf.

“George’s personal collection’s at the back,” Lachlan told them, leading them towards a large bookcase set against the back wall, “It should be in here somewhere.”

Nick and Liam set to work, scanning through each shelf faster than Louis ever could.

“It’s…uh…really good to see you again, Louis,” Lachlan said, scratching nervously at his arm.

“Your Alpha doesn’t know about our disastrous date, does she?” Louis asked.

Lachlan’s face blanched and he shook his head.

“God, no. She’d never let me live it down! Asking out someone who’s one half of an Alpha deux bond? It was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done!”

“Well, imagine being that half and still being oblivious to it,” Louis stated, dryly and Lachlan let out a genuine laugh.

“How’s everything going? With you and…Alpha Styles?”

“Good,” Louis answered and he couldn’t quite stop the fond smile from spreading across his face as he thought of Harry, “Really good.”

Lachlan watched him for a moment before giving him a smile.

“Yeah, I can tell,” he replied, “You look really happy.”

“I am,” Louis nodded before biting his lip, “Look, Lachlan, if I accidentally led you on in any way-”

“Hey, no,” Lachlan gave him a friendly grin, “Like I said, it was a stupid mistake on my part. It’s all water under the bridge now! And I..uh…I’ve kind of…maybe, met someone?”

“Oh?” Louis felt his grin widen, “Come on, then. Tell me all the juicy details!”

“There’s not much to tell” Lachlan laughed, a light blush covering his cheeks, “Caroline and I decided to go to a club the day after I…well, after I found out about you and Alpha Styles and felt like a royal idiot.”

Louis winced apologetically but Lachlan waved it aside.

“So, we were just waiting for our drinks, you know? And this guy sends over some. We spent a few minutes trying to figure out who he was interested in- me or Caroline- but then she excused herself to go to the loo and he came over to me.”

Lachlan had a bashful smile on his face now, eyes bright.

“We just chatted for a bit and danced together for a while. He’s a brilliant dancer, as it turns out, and then we exchanged numbers. We’ve been texting back and forth a bit but we’re taking it slow. Might meet up again soon. Go on a proper date. We’ll see how it goes but it’s looking good so far.”

“That’s great, Lachlan! I’m so happy for you,” Louis said, sincerely, pulling the Beta into a hug.

Lachlan chuckled.

“Thanks, Louis. Um…are you wearing Alpha Styles’ clothes again?”

“No,” Louis rolled his eyes, pulling back from the hug, “I smell like him, don’t I?”

“Like you’ve bathed in eau de Styles,” Lachlan confirmed.

“Scenting’s….a thing for him,” Louis shrugged.

“TMI!” Nick called out.

Louis laughed, stepping forward to help the Betas rummage through the bookshelf.

“Um…Alpha?” Liam’s voice made him pause and turn to face the wolf, who was pointing to an empty slot on one of the shelves, “Two books are missing from here.”

“I think I found one of them,” Nick said, nodding towards a small table that stood beside the bookcase.

On it, was a large text with age-worn pages.

“The Talisman: A History,” Lachlan read out the title, turning to a page that was bookmarked, “Apparently, someone was reading the chapter on ‘changing a talisman’s allegiance’. Sounds boring.”

“For the non-wolf’s benefit,” Louis pointed to himself, “Can you explain what a talisman is?”

“It’s the mark the leader of a pack wears,” Liam answered before Lachlan could, “It’s usually a personal object that has been in a pack for generations and it’s passed from one Alpha to the next. It remains with an Alpha until they die. When a talisman’s passed on, the power of leadership is passed on as well. The necklace you’re wearing is our pack’s talisman.”

Louis glanced down at the necklace Harry had given him. He remembered Alpha Montgomery giving it to Harry at Anne’s funeral, telling him it was his now. He hadn’t understood at the time why Harry’s sobs had gotten louder, the wolf burying his head against Louis’ neck and clinging to him.

“But Harry’s not dead,” Louis shuddered at the mere thought, “How can he pass it to me if it’s supposed to remain with the Alpha until their death?”

“The rules are a bit different when it comes to mates,” Nick answered, “His wolf recognised you as his mate long before his human side caught up. A talisman can be shared between mates, giving both of them the rights to leadership.”

“And its allegiance will only change if both of you die,” Liam added.

“According to this,” Lachlan summarised from the book, “There’s actually two ways for the allegiance to change. Either the current owner or owners of the talisman must die, in which case the closest living, blood relative inherits it or…”

Lachlan frowned, flicking through a few pages.

“Um…the next page of this book is missing.”

“It’s an old book,” Nick pointed out, “The page probably fell out at some point.”

“Alpha,” Liam called out, turning to face Louis, “The Guidebook’s definitely not here. Are you sure this is where he said it would be?”

“We were shown the video,” Nick reminded Liam, “We all heard George say it would be here and Alpha Montgomery confirmed it.”

“What does it look like?” Lachlan asked.

Louis held up the training Guide.

“Like this but a bit thicker.”

“Maybe it’s been misplaced,” Lachlan suggested, “Some of George’s stuff’s been boxed up. I’ll have a look through it and I’ll call you if I find the book.”

“That would be great, thanks,” Louis gave him a smile, glancing down at his watch, “We need to get going if we want to make it back before the sun sets.”

Lachlan accompanied them to the front door and watched as they got into the van.

Just before Louis got in, he turned to give Lachlan a hug, whispering, “Good luck with your boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend!” Lachlan denied but his cheeks turned bright red, a smile quirking up his lips, “At least, not yet.”

“Once all of this is over, we’re doing a double date,” Louis told him and Lachlan nodded, shyly.

“Sounds good,” Lachlan replied, grinning as Louis clambered into the van and waved goodbye.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Liam filled Cara, Niall and Perrie in on what had happened as they drove back towards their territory.

Cara glanced at Louis, who had remained quiet throughout the entire story.

“You don’t believe the book’s been misplaced, do you?” she asked, perceptively.

Louis shook his head.

“No,” he answered, slowly, “I think it’s been taken.”

“By who?” Nick asked.

“And for what?” Perrie added.

“I have no idea,” Louis answered with a sigh, “But I have a bad feeling about it.”

He shrugged it off after a few, tense moments of silence.

“I’m probably just being paranoid,” he said.

“Or you’re following your instincts,” Liam replied, “I hope it has just been misplaced and that Lachlan finds it.”

“What about that book Alpha Corden gave you then?” Niall asked.

“It’s called a training Guide apparently,” Louis answered, pulling out the leather diary, “It’ll help me get started, I suppose. Teach me the basics.”

He flicked it open but, apart from the portrait of him on the first page, the other pages were empty. He thumbed through it a few more times before giving up and passing it over to the Betas.

“I think it’s broken,” he muttered, slouching in his seat.

“Maybe you could like, talk to it?” Cara suggested, “Ask it to reveal its secrets or something?”

“Maybe it just needs to be loved,” Niall decided, grabbing it from Perrie and pressing a kiss to the leather cover.  
He deflated when he opened it to find the pages were still blank.

“Did you honestly think that was going to work?” Nick gave the blonde an unimpressed look, taking the Guide off of him with a sniff of disdain, “It’s a bloody book! It’s not a living crea- _fuck!_ ”

Louis turned around in his seat to find Nick cradling his hand against his chest, the book having dropped onto his lap. 

“It zapped me!” the Beta exclaimed, glaring at the offending object, “I felt this painful jolt!”

“Because you hurt its feelings,” Niall announced, sagely.

“Oooh! Maybe it’s like in Harry Potter!” Perrie exclaimed, snatching the Guide from Nick, “You should try writing in it and-”

“But the sketch of the Alpha showed up on its own,” Liam interjected, “Something must have triggered that, right?”

All the wolves turned to stare at Louis, as if he held all the answers to their unanswered questions.

“Fuck, I don’t know,” Louis shrugged back, helplessly, “I didn’t do anything! Just picked it up and opened it. The sketch was already in there.”

Perrie handed the training Guide back to Louis with a sigh of defeat.

“We’ll figure it out,” Liam said, infusing his voice with faked enthusiasm.

The rest of the Betas chipped in with words of encouragement but it was obvious that none of them held out much hope.

There must be some kind of trick to it, Louis thought to himself. He focused on tracing the outside of the diary for a few seconds before opening it again. He stared at the blank pages of the book and willed _something_ to happen. They didn’t have ample time to figure this out. 

According to George’s video, Louis should have been training with the Guide from the moment he came into contact with it. The thought of his powers becoming a danger to the pack was terrifying. And God! What would it do to the bond between him and Harry? If Harry ended up getting hurt because of him…

“Um, A..Alpha?” Cara whispered.

Louis glanced at her to see she had leant forward in her seat. She shakily pointed to the Guide he was holding. 

“Th..that just appeared.”

Louis glanced down at the book, the other Betas leaning over to get a better look. He froze when he saw the words that were now printed on the page.

****__  
The will to learn is not enough  
The hardest task is first to come  
To get the key, you alone must strive  
To solve the answer of the five:  


“Holy shit!” Louis croaked out.

“What’s that mean?” Niall frowned, “Is it a poem?”

“No,” Perrie answered before Louis could, “It says to solve the answer. It’s got to be a riddle.”

‘There has to be more to it,’ Louis thought to himself, smoothing his palm over the page,‘To get the key I have to solve a riddle?’

Almost as soon as he had thought of the word ‘riddle’, a warm tingle ran through his fingers. The next set of words appeared below the first:

****__  
The beginning is the start of first  
The second, third in shoe  
For third is found in corner  
While fourth’s not me but you  
As for the final part of five  
It can be seen in trees  
Silently it also hides  
In aisle and debris  


Louis stared at it blankly, his mouth falling open.

“Oh my god,” Liam whispered, torn between keeping his eyes on the road and glancing over at the magic-filled book his Alpha was holding up.

“I love riddles!” Perrie remarked, happily, settling back in her seat.

“Would you like to solve it then?” Louis asked but the wolf shook her head.

“I can’t,” she explained, “The first part, remember? It said _you alone_ must solve it if you want the key.”

“What key?” Louis, Nick, Cara and Niall asked at the same time.

Liam managed to return his focus to the road.

Perrie gave them all looks of fond amusement.

“The key to using the Guide, obviously,” she stated, “It’s an object of magic that’s filled with spells. There’s going to be safeguards to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. You have to prove you’re worthy for it to reveal itself!”

“And it measures worthiness by your ability to solve a riddle?” Nick asked, incredulously.

“I’ve heard of weirder tests,” Perrie answered, enthusiastically. 

And, considering the fact that she had gone through a brief phase where she read up on every witch to ever exist, Louis didn’t doubt her words.

“Okay,” Louis took a deep breath, turning back to the book again, “I can figure this out. I’ve got-”

He glanced at his watch.

“Two hours until we get back.” 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It took him 45 minutes to unravel it.

“Focus!” he exclaimed with a grin that probably appeared to be borderline mad, “That’s what the key is! _Focus_.”

“Huh?” Niall asked, staring rather worriedly at Louis.

“The five! The riddle spells out five letters! See?” 

__  
The beginning is the start of first  


“The beginning of the five-letter word is the start of the word ‘first’, which is the letter ‘F’,” Louis explained, pointing to each line in turn.

_The second, third in shoe_

“The second letter is the third one in ‘shoe’, which is ‘O’.”

_For third is found in a corner_

“That one took a bit of trial and error to get but the letter ‘C’ is found in corner and it’s the only one that makes sense.”

_While fourth’s not me but you_

“And this is meant literally. As in the fourth letter is ‘U’.”

__  
As for the final part of five  
It can be seen in trees  
Silently it also hides  
In aisle and debris  


“The letter ‘S’ is found in the word ‘trees’ and it’s silent in the words aisle and debris. So, if we put it all together, it spells…”

“Focus!” Liam exclaimed, “So…what? You have to focus on something to get the book to tell you its secrets?”

“Yeah,” Louis nodded, placing a finger on the page, “I think I just need to direct my thoughts to what I want.”

He thought of the word ‘focus’, answering the riddle, and felt the familiar tingling rush through him. The book got slightly warmer under his skin for half a second before the page flicked over to the next one, filled with new words.

Louis stared at it in awe.

It was a spell. Well, not exactly a spell…more like a mind-exercise. There were a series of steps written in the same spidery-green hand, such as _‘Clear your mind’_ and _‘Focus on the individual connections’_. The title of the page said nothing more than _‘Sight’_.

“Sight?” Cara frowned, “What’s that supposed to do?”

“I have no idea,” Louis replied, honestly, “But I’m going to try and find out.” 

“D..do you want me to pull over?” Liam asked, unsurely, giving the Guide a nervous glance.

“No,” Louis shook his head, “Alpha Montgomery said the training Guide didn’t have any dangerous spells in it. We’ll be safe. Just…no one talk for a bit.”

The Betas obeyed at once. 

* * * * *

It wasn’t quite what he had expected. When the title said ‘Sight’, it apparently meant it quite literally. 

After an hour, he had finally mastered the steps (and really, who knew that clearing your mind would be so difficult?!) and the first thing he noticed was the physical connection between him and Liam.

It looked like a thin string, extending between Louis and Liam’s chests. The side of the string closest to Louis was tinged with a blue glow while the part closest to Liam was red. They met in the middle, blending seamlessly together.

“Shit!” Louis gasped, staring wide-eyed at Liam, “Can you see that?”

Liam gave him a quick glance, confused.

“See what?” he asked with a frown.

“This,” Louis pointed to the string, taking care not to touch it.

“You’re…pointing at nothing, Alpha,” Liam said, slowly.

“No, there’s a…a string…yours is red and mine’s blue and they connect…like, a bond between…” Louis trailed off, realising the purpose of the spell.

“Oh,” he whispered, staring at the string as George’s words came back to him, “Only I can see it, because it’s magic. The witch’s magic, the pack bond.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to pull over?” Liam asked, sounding more worried by the second.

“No, no, I’m fine,” Louis waved his concerns away, turning around in his seat as best he could and shifting his focus to Niall.

He had to test out his theory. If he was correct, the Guide had just taught him how to see pack bonds at will.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the bond between him and Liam fade from view, returning to its previously invisible state. Instead, he could now view the pack bond that connected him and Niall, identical to Liam’s except, instead of red, Niall’s string was tinged with the colours of the flag of Ireland.

“Green, white and orange. Irish to your very core, aren’t you?” he remarked and, despite his confusion, Niall gave him a grin.

“Spirit of Ireland, that’s me!”

“Alpha,” Perrie asked, frustration evident in her face, “What are you talking about? What can you see?”

“The pack bonds,” Louis explained, gesturing to each of them, “I can see the physical representation of the bond between each of us. They’re all different colours but…”

He ran a hand through his hair, breaking focus. The physical manifestation of the bond between Niall and him vanished. He focused again and he could see the bond between Niall and Perrie. Hers was tinged with pink.

“I can’t focus enough to see all of ours at once. Only one at a time. But hopefully, with practice-”

He was cut off by all of the Betas talking at once, demanding he tell them which colour their bonds were. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Louis should have expected it but he was still annoyed when, instead of being excited at hearing about the magic he had channelled, Harry gave him a worried look.

“Magic’s dangerous, Lou,” Harry kept saying, ignoring the Betas, who were gushing about how brilliant it had been, “You could get seriously hurt, going into it blind like this.”

“I don’t really have a choice, Harry,” Louis reminded him, “George said I have to learn how to use and harness my powers. Besides, Alpha Montgomery said nothing in the training Guide was dangerous.”

“We can’t take that chance! I’m just saying-”

Louis sighed as Harry continued to rant about all the reasons why this was a bad idea. Arguing about this would get them nowhere. Maybe if Harry could _see_ what he could…

An idea came to Louis and he cut Harry off by pressing a hand against his chest.

“Lou, what-?”

Harry stopped speaking when Louis projected the images to him. At first, it was images of Louis’ car ride with the Betas. He saw the string connecting Louis to each of the Betas and connecting them to each other. Then, Louis showed him the bond between them- the Alpha deux bond.

This one was more like a rope than a string; a rope that was tinged with glowing greens and blues, the colours swirling around each other throughout the length of the bond in such a way that it was difficult to distinguish who each colour belonged to. Just looking at it took Harry’s breath away. It was an exquisite sight.

“Do that look dangerous to you?” Louis asked, softly, dragging his hand up to the nape of Harry’s neck and rubbing the skin there.

The gesture usually calmed the wolf down and he watched with a smile as Harry’s worry took a backseat to his curiosity.

“Can you…” Harry swallowed, placing his hands around Louis’ hips, “What happens when you touch it?”

Louis blinked at him.

“I..don’t know. I didn’t think about that.”

He gave Harry a hesitant look but the wolf nodded.

“Go ahead,” Harry whispered, squeezing Louis’ hip lightly in encouragement.

Carefully, as though the bond between them might snap if he were too hasty, Louis reached towards it. The moment his fingers made contact with it, the colours became more vibrant. The rope, which had been a taut line between them, turned malleable, allowing Louis to move it in any direction he wished.

Louis grew braver, wrapping his whole hand around the bond. He didn’t expect the sudden rush of power that went through him; a surge of energy so strong it made him feel almost invincible. Harry’s hands clutched at him, the Alpha letting out a soft whine.

Louis looked up at him with wide eyes, not entirely sure what was going on. 

“Harry?” he asked nervously but the words came out with a reverberation to them. 

“Lou,” Harry breathed out, staring at him almost reverently, “ _Louis_.”

It took Louis a moment to notice that Harry’s claws were peeking out, the instincts of the wolf taking over. A growl rang out around the room and Louis realised with a start that it came from him.

Louis looked at Harry again and this time, Harry tilted his head to the side, revealing the pale column of his neck in what was an obvious gesture of submissiveness. Louis opened his mouth to ask him what he was doing but all that came out was a soft, confused, growl. 

“A..Alpha?” Jesy hesitantly whispered and Louis glanced to the side to see that all of the Betas were on the floor, kneeling with their necks exposed and their eyes trailed on the ground.

Dex, who had been sitting on the couch, was the only one looking back at Louis. The toddler was smiling but what caught Louis’ attention was the flash of blue in the boy’s eyes, too sharp to be a trick of the light. Had Dex just flashed his eyes at him?

Louis froze as images suddenly filled his head, projected to him by Harry.

He watched with confusion, seeing himself through Harry’s eyes. He looked the same as he always did except for… _oh_. His eyes weren’t their normal shade of blue. They were flashing silver, exactly like how Harry’s did in his wolf form. It was a demand for submission, for respect, and the wolves were all reacting to that. And, Louis realised with a jolt of shock, so was Dex.

Louis let go of his grasp on the bond and saw his eyes turn back to normal. The Betas let out relieved whines and slowly stood up again.

“Wh..what was that?” he gasped out, feeling suddenly tired and leaning heavily against Harry, who was now nuzzling at his cheek.

“The power of the Alpha,” Harry told him, pressing his face against Louis’ neck, not wanting to let go of his mate, “You borrowed it from me for a few seconds there.”

“I can do that?” Louis asked, pressing his palms against Harry’s back until they stopped tingling with the residual power.

“A Numen can temporarily drain an Alpha’s power, yes,” Zayn answered for Harry, “Technically, you can drain all our powers and channel them but the amount of focus that would take would probably hurt you.” 

Louis shuddered. He couldn’t imagine ever wanting to drain his pack’s powers. Neither could he imagine ever being able to exert that much of focus. He was already tired after this small display. Anything on a larger scale would probably kill him!

Harry’s fingers brushed against Louis’ inner wrist, the wolf being able to sense the exhaustion that was pouring off of his mate.

“Jay left a message to say she’s working the night shift tonight,” Harry told him, wrapping an arm around the younger boy, “Jesy, Aidan and I made dinner. Come on. You need to eat something.”

Louis pressed a grateful kiss to the Alpha’s cheek and let himself be led to the kitchen where a homecooked meal awaited.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It was afterwards, as they all lay in bed, that Louis decided to tell Harry. The Betas were all asleep, cushions, pillows and sleeping bags scattered around the floor of the bedroom. Nick and Liam had decided to take the living room couch but the rest of them had insisted on being closer to Louis and Harry. It gave them a sense of comfort, Louis knew, to be physically near their Alphas.

Dex was settled between Louis and Harry, already snoring softly as he nuzzled against Louis’ chest, subconsciously scenting him even in sleep.

“Hazza,” he murmured the words, softly enough that none of the Betas would be jarred awake, “I need to tell you something.”

Harry blinked sleepily at him, the arm that was thrown around his waist tightening. The wolf hummed to show he was listening.

“Earlier, when I was…when I did that thing with my powers,” Louis said, slowly, finding it strange to talk about the fact he actually had powers.

“So fucking hot,” Harry mumbled, half asleep.

“Harry!” Louis said it in a chastising tone but he had to bite back his smile, “That’s not what I…Hazza, _stay awake!_ This is important.”

His voice clearly gave something away for Harry was sitting up in bed and reaching for him within seconds.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Harry asked, running his hands over Louis’ body.

Louis took a deep breath, letting Harry manoeuvre them so that he was cradled against the wolf, his head resting against Harry’s shoulder. Once Harry ascertained that there had been no physical damage, Louis felt him rub a hand over his back, soothingly. Dex slept on, his head cushioned on Louis’ pillow.

“It’s about Dex,” Louis said, quietly, deciding to just get it all out in one go, “He flashed his eyes at me earlier.”

The hand rubbing his back froze and Louis glanced up to see the stunned expression on Harry’s face.

“He..he can’t have,” the wolf whispered back, confused, “He’s human.”

“But he did,” Louis replied, insistently, “I saw him. And last month, he flashed his eyes at Cara. She said he was challenging her and none of us believed it but…I didn’t imagine it today. His eyes flashed blue in response to mine.”

“It’s a sign of respect,” Harry murmured, half to himself, “When the Alpha flashes their eyes, it’s a demand for submission. If Dex flashed back with his eyes…if he were a wolf, it would mean he couldn’t offer you his submission but he was giving you his respect. It’s usually only done by young Alpha cubs, while they’re still operating on instinct alone. I used to do it to Mum all the time.”

“But Dex isn’t a wolf cub,” Louis reminded Harry, “And his eyes didn’t flash silver. They were blue.”

“I…I don’t know what that means, Lou,” Harry answered, sounding just as worried and confused as Louis, “Dex is human. He doesn’t shift during full moons. He shouldn’t be able to flash his eyes at anyone.”

“But he did,” Louis repeated.

It was only when Harry pulled him close, pressing Louis’ head against his chest, that Louis realised he was shaking. 

“S..sorry, I…”

“It’s okay, Lou,” Harry murmured to him, his voice a reassuring growl as his arms held the younger man more securely, “It’s okay to be afraid.”

Louis’ tilted his head back slightly so he could look at Harry as he said, “I’m not scared of Dex, Hazza. I’m scared _for_ him. He can flash his eyes. I swear to god I didn’t imagine it-”

“I believe you,” Harry interrupted, “I’m just trying to figure out how it could be possible.”

They spent a few minutes in silence, Louis absently running his fingers through Harry’s hair and the wolf rubbing his cheek against the top of Louis’ head in return. A part of Louis knew that Harry was scenting him to calm him down and it seemed to be working. Louis felt himself relax a little, his shakes subsiding.

“I think we should just wait for now,” the wolf finally murmured, turning his head to press a soft kiss against Louis’ hair, “He doesn’t smell like a werewolf but if you saw him flash his eyes…we’ll see if the blue moon has any effect on him tomorrow.”

“Do you think it will?” Louis whispered.

Harry glanced over at the sleeping toddler before shaking his head.

“No, I don’t. If he were a wolf, he would have shifted during his first full moon but it’s better to be certain.”

“We should also tell Mum to keep an eye on him then,” Louis finally said, pulling back to look at the Alpha, “Just to make sure. She said she’ll be picking him up at nine o’clock tomorrow night and bringing him over here.”

“Alright, we’ll tell her,” Harry assured him, “Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out. And…once the threat and the rogue Alpha are dealt with, can we take Dex to see Alpha Corden? He might know more about it.”

“You’re Dex’s dad,” Louis pointed out, “You don’t need to ask me, love. You should do whatever you think is best for him.”

“I do need to ask you,” Harry stated, his eyes turning a shade darker, the wolf shining through, “You’re mine and Dex is mine and I…I can’t take him out of the territory without your permission, Lou. It feels wrong, somehow. My wolf doesn’t like it.”

Louis gave him a look of surprise but Harry didn’t understand it any more than his mate did.

“It’s just how it is,” he shrugged back, helplessly.

“Okay,” Louis nodded, a small smile entering his face, “Alright, yeah. That’s…it’s a good idea. We’ll do that. Once everything else is sorted and the territory’s safe again.”

Harry spared a quick glance around at the other wolves, all of whom seemed to be fast asleep in various positions on the floor. He placed a hand on Louis’ lower back, moving him closer and pressing a kiss to the man’s lips before laying back on the bed, tugging Louis down on top of him.

He managed to get in a few, slow kisses that had the younger man sighing into his mouth before Louis pushed him away, giving him a look of heavy disapproval.

“Dex is sleeping less than two feet from us. Do you have a wish to traumatise him?” he hissed at Harry, who just gave him a cheeky grin and tried to squeeze his arse.

“No fucking way,” Louis laughed quietly, “You can wait for 24 hours, Harold.”

“You’re killing me, Lou,” Harry whined but he didn’t protest when Louis rolled off him.

Louis rolled his eyes and cuddled back against Harry, who settled for laying his arm around Louis’ waist, safe and content in the knowledge that his entire pack, his mate and his son were all within reach. His wolf relaxed as Louis melted into his hold and he fell asleep with Louis’ scent surrounding him, the smell of home giving him comfort in a way no other scent ever could.

Perhaps it was because he was so comfortable that he didn’t hear the sound of the door opening as a figure slipped out of the bedroom.

 

Zayn tiptoed down the stairs, slinging the hood of his jacket over his head. He thanked his lucky stars that he had inherited his Dad’s wolf genes and not ended up human like his sisters. The chances of him being able to make it to the door without the pack noticing him would be little to none if it weren’t for his enhanced abilities. 

He let himself relax slightly as he reached for the front door’s handle, seconds away from-

“Zayn,” the deep voice that was more familiar to him than his own had him freezing at once, his wolf whining at him in rebuke.

“Li,” Zayn sighed, turning around to see Liam standing by the doorway to the living room, “How did you know?”

“I heard you,” Liam answered, taking a step closer and surveying Zayn with a frown, “You were trying to sneak out without telling anyone, weren’t you?”

Zayn bit his lip but eventually, nodded. He had thought he would be able to sneak out since not even the Alphas had noticed his departure. But, of course Liam did. His soon-to-be mate was attuned to his every breath. He should have expected it. 

“Getting cold feet?” Liam asked, his tone joking but there was true worry in his eyes.

Zayn scoffed, closing the final steps that separated them and grabbing Liam by the collar. The Beta made a surprised sound when Zayn crashed their lips together. It only took half a second for it to turn into a pleased moan and Zayn forced himself to pull away, knowing that it would get out of hand if he didn’t. 

“Cold feet? Not a chance in hell, Li,” he promised the wolf, who looked slightly dazed from the kiss, “You’re stuck with me now.”

“Good,” Liam murmured, eyes still glassy.

Zayn smirked and took a step back, turning towards the door again when Liam spoke. 

“You’re not getting away that easily. Where are you heading off to at this time?”

Zayn bit back a proud smile. There was a time when he could have easily distracted Liam with that kiss and left the house before the wolf even registered his absence. It’s not that Liam had become immune to his tactics, if the slightly spacey look in his eyes was anything to go by, but his mate knew Zayn better now and he knew what he was capable of. 

“Z,” Liam’s tone told him the Beta would not let him leave the house without hearing the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. 

“I overheard the Alphas talking about Dex,” he confessed, ignoring Liam’s look of disapproval, “I just want to take another look at my research, Li. There’s something there, something obvious that I’m missing.”

Liam sighed but Zayn only had to gaze at him with those pleading eyes for him to relent. Liam _really_ wasn’t immune to him!

“Fine, but I’m coming with you,” Liam stated, grabbing his car keys before Zayn could even think about protesting, “And you get two hours. After that, you’re getting some sleep, even if I have to tie you to the bed.”

“Kinky,” Zayn whispered, grinning when Liam’s face predictably turned bright red, “Save it for tomorrow, babe.”

Liam growled, eyes flashing at his future mate.

Zayn supposed he deserved the slap on his arse that Liam gave him as they walked out the door, heading towards the Manor. Tomorrow night was going to be about them but tonight, Zayn was determined to focus on understanding the anomaly that was Dex Styles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The good news is, I’ve finally figured out how many chapters this fic will have! The not so good news is that life has, once again, got in the way of my fic writing and I will be away for the next few months.  
> I'll be travelling a lot and relying on my phone’s internet so I won’t be able to update this fic until I get back. _**Please don’t think this fic has been abandoned because it definitely hasn’t but the next update won’t be for a few months**_. I would like to thank you all in advance for your understanding and patience! I am so grateful for everything you do for me and the amount of support you’ve given me and this fic so far. I'll try my best to update as soon as I can!  
>  The next chapter will be about the events of the Blue Moon run (including some explicit scenes of a sexual nature) so I hope it will be worth the (potentially) long wait <3 xx


	15. XV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story has over 2500 kudos! I’m just…speechless. Thank you so much to everyone that’s been supporting me both here and on Tumblr! I’m in London for the week so here’s that long promised update. I didn't have a lot of time to edit this chapter so I apologise for any and all mistakes. Enjoy! <3 xx
> 
>  **Please note:** This chapter contains some explicit, sexual scenes.

The day of the Blue Moon run greeted them with a thunderstorm.

“It’s cold,” Louis grumbled, wrapped up in a jumper and still freezing his arse off on the kitchen chair.

His mum hummed in agreement, hands wrapped around her third mug of tea. She had just gotten in after her night shift at the hospital and looked exhausted. 

“Might be a bit less cold if you’d wear some socks,” she pointed out, stifling a yawn.

“Socks are evil,” Louis answered adamantly.

Jay chuckled and stood up from the table.

“I’m heading off to bed, love. Need to be awake to babysit Harry Junior tonight, don’t I?” she grinned at Louis, stooping to press a quick kiss to the top of his head before she walked out of the kitchen, taking her tea with her.

“I hate this weather,” Louis groaned as Niall, Jesy, Nick, Cara, Perrie and Aidan trooped in through the kitchen door, trailing wet footprints behind them.

It was easy to tell that the Betas were excited by the storm. Nick and Jesy, who had been on morning patrol, were soaked to the bone and wearing huge smiles. The rest of the wolves were carrying umbrellas but they all looked as if they would be happy to go for a run in the rain.

“It’s going to be a wet night!” Jesy proclaimed now, shaking the water out of her hair.

“There’s nothin’ better than the feel of rain on your face!” Niall shouted gleefully, having dropped his umbrella in favour of shovelling cereal into his mouth.

Louis narrowed his eyes when he saw that Niall was eating Coco Pops. _His_ Coco Pops. Seriously, there was an actual written rule about this somewhere!

Just as he was about to inform Niall, _yet again_ , of this rule, Liam walked into the kitchen. The wolf looked tired as he blinked around the room before dropping into a chair next to Louis.

“You alright, love?” Louis asked, reaching over to run his hand over Liam’s hair.

The wolf growled happily in response before muttering, “Had a late night. Zayn wanted…we went to his Mum’s place for a bit. To get some of his things for tonight.”

Louis supposed it made sense that Zayn would have wanted to grab an overnight bag for his stay at the Manor tonight. After a second, however, he frowned.

“But isn’t all of Zayn’s stuff here?”

Liam glanced away from him, his face turning red. 

“Liam,” Nick, who had overheard the conversation, said with a smirk, “I noticed you weren’t sleeping on the couch this morning. Did it take you and Zayn _all_ night to ‘pack’?”

Louis bit back a smile.

“If you two needed some time alone-” he began.

“What? No! I…I mean,” Liam stammered out, “I know what it looks like but we weren’t…that’s not…”

His face was turning redder by the second and he was noticeably relieved when his rambling was cut short by a demanding voice shouting, “Ma!”

Louis’ attention immediately turned to Harry, who was walking into the room carrying a sleep-ruffled, grumpy Dex.

“He’s being clingy today. He woke up and you weren’t there,” Harry explained with a tired huff, depositing the toddler into Louis’ lap, where Dex immediately cuddled against him, “He kept slapping my cheeks until I got up and agreed to bring him to you. Thank god he doesn’t have claws!”

“Missed me did you, little man?” Louis grinned down at the child, who pouted and cuddled closer, gripping Louis’ shirt tighter in a bid to permanently keep him there.

“Ma, stay,” the toddler commanded, causing Louis to chuckle and press a kiss to the top of Dex’s head.

In the light of the morning, it was almost easy to think he had imagined Dex’s flashing eyes the day before. 

“I’m not going anywhere, love,” Louis assured him.

Louis felt a hand cup the nape of his neck and he smiled when Harry fell into the seat beside him, thumb still rubbing at the bare skin of Louis’ neck. He tilted his head back so the Alpha could scent him, even though he was certain that he was already covered in the scent of Harry and pack. It was simply out of habit by this point. 

That didn’t stop Louis’ body from reacting however, and it was with no small amount of embarrassment that he shifted Dex in his lap so the boy wouldn’t feel the growing bulge in his pants. He was not ready to have _that_ talk yet!

“Harry,” Louis hissed at the wolf, who nuzzled against his neck one last time before sitting back with a satisfied smirk, seemingly pleased with his morning’s work.

Nick, ever the traitor, chuckled at the way Louis’ cheeks had turned red and Louis was beyond thankful when Harry shifted everyone’s focus by asking, “Where’s Zayn?”

“He’s sleeping,” Liam said, eyes trained on the mug of coffee Aidan had passed over to him, “Said he needed rest.”

“Oh, I _bet_ he did,” Nick smirked lasciviously.

Liam choked on the sip of coffee he had taken and shot Nick a glare, his cheeks tinged with pink.

“How’re you feeling about today, Liam?” Harry asked, easily changing tracks yet again.

He was, Louis noted with pride, a natural at being the Alpha, knowing when to stop the playful teasing and banter before it became truly hurtful or humiliating. 

“I…good?” Liam stammered before clearing his throat and trying again, “I mean, I’m…a bit…I’m excited, obviously but also just…a little…uh..”

“Nervous?” Louis suggested and Liam nodded, clutching his mug closer.

Nick opened his mouth, undoubtedly to tease the wolf further but upon seeing Louis’ frown, he decided against it.

Louis and Harry shared a look, having noticed the pale tinge of Liam’s face. Louis raised an eyebrow and Harry nodded, the two of them coming to a silent agreement.

“We’re going to make Zayn breakfast in bed,” Harry announced, standing up and gesturing to the rest of the Betas, “It’s the only way we’re going to get him up before noon.”

The other wolves immediately jumped up from the table, already making suggestions about items they could make. Liam started to get up too but Louis caught hold of his arm, giving the confused wolf a reassuring smile.

“I was actually hoping you could drive me to the Manor, Liam. I need to pick up a few of Dex’s things that are still there. You don’t mind, do you?”

“No, Alpha. Of course not,” Liam replied, as accomodating as ever. 

Louis let Liam head to the car before turning to Harry and passing Dex over to the wolf.

“Ma?” Dex pouted, giving Louis a betrayed look.

“I’ll be back soon. I promise,” Louis promised the boy, tickling his feet until the pout melted away from his face and Dex started giggling.

“Are you sure you don’t need any help with him?” Harry asked, quietly enough that the other Betas wouldn’t hear, nodding in the direction Liam had walked off in.

“I’ll handle it. I think he’s just nervous about tonight,” Louis replied, “I’m just going to find out why. Reassure him a little.”

Harry nodded, pulling Louis into a sudden and unexpected kiss.

“You’re so good with them,” the wolf murmured to him, pressing a kiss to his jaw, “The pack adore you.”

Louis pulled back with a bashful smile.

“I adore them,” he answered, truthfully.

There was a crash from the pantry followed by five voices growling, “Niall!”

“Are you sure you don’t want to trade places?” Harry asked hopefully, glancing longingly towards the front door.

“Alpha? We’re out of flour,” Niall’s voice called out.

“Yeah, because you knocked the whole lot down!” Cara snarled at him.

Niall growled back and followed it with a stream of curses directed at Cara that made Harry slap his hand over Dex’s ears with a look of absolute horror in his eyes.

“Enjoy babysitting the children, love,” Louis grinned at Harry, pressing a kiss to his cheek before grabbing his backpack from the hall and slipping out of the house.

He grinned as he heard Harry sigh dejectedly, muttering something about how they, “should have stopped at one”, before going to deal with the fight that had broken out between Niall and Cara. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Liam wasn’t stupid. He knew that none of Dex’s important things had been left behind at the Manor because he had seen Harry pack and the Alpha was nothing if not meticulous. 

So, he waited until Louis had opened the Manor door before asking, “What did you want to talk about, Alpha?”

Louis froze for half a second, the movement barely noticeable unless you were watching for it as Liam had been. Louis recovered quickly though, turning to usher Liam inside and closing the door behind them.

“Alpha-” Liam began but Louis shushed him, leading him into the kitchen and pulling out one of the chairs for Liam to sit on.

He dropped his backpack into the seat next to Liam’s.

The wolf opened his mouth again but Louis simply raised an eyebrow and Liam sat, never one to argue with his Alphas. 

Louis walked past him and opened one of the cupboards, removing a familiar glass jar from it and placing it on the table in front of Liam. The Beta blinked at the jar, remembering the day he had first seen it.

 

It had been the month after Zayn and Liam had started dating. 

Liam had walked into the kitchen one day to see the glass jar sitting on the table, a few crumpled notes inside it.

“Don’t ask,” Louis had told him, waving off his offer to add money to it if they were collecting for something.

The jar had been there for nearly a year and then, the day after Zayn announced to the pack that Liam and him were planning to get bonded, the jar had disappeared. Liam had always thought the pack had some sort of bet going about when he and Zayn would finally bond and he had figured that was what the jar was for.

He had never asked Louis and the Alpha had never volunteered the information. 

“What happened to the money?” Liam found himself asking now as he stared at the empty jar.

“I bought something with it,” Louis answered, “That’s technically what you’re supposed to do with money.”

Louis’ tone made Liam crack a smile, his nerves over tonight’s bonding fizzling down a tad.

“Here.”

Louis reached for his backpack, pulling something out of it. He placed it on the table between them and slid it across to Liam.

“We bought it a while ago. You have no idea how fucking difficult it was to make sure Niall didn’t spill the secret and ruin the surprise!”

Liam stared at the white envelope, reaching for it and opening it slowly. He gasped out loud when he saw that it contained two plane tickets to Paris, along with pre-booked rooms at a hotel. The dates said the tickets were booked for next year- for the date that would have been Liam and Zayn’s first year anniversary had they gotten bonded six weeks ago, as previously planned. He stared at Louis, who was grinning at him.

“We figured you and Zayn deserved something special and thought you would appreciate having some time to yourselves,” Louis explained, “We were going to give it to you tonight, after the bonding.”

“You saved up for this?” Liam croaked out, eyes flickering over the gift.

“Well, I could have just bought it using money from the pack account but all of the Betas wanted to chip in and it felt more personal to do it this way,” Louis grinned at him. 

“And…Paris?” Liam gave Louis a wide-eyed look.

Louis’ smile softened.

“I remember your parents used to go to Paris for their anniversary every year so…well, I thought you and Zayn might like to have a similar tradition?”

Liam’s parents had died a few years before Anne, during a fight to defend their territory. It had been a violent battle, the worst the Styles pack had ever been involved in and they had lost many of the older, born-wolves to it. Some of the older wolves had left the pack after that, unable to stand the loss of lives they had witnessed. Others, like Zayn’s dad, had left when Harry took over as Alpha, not comfortable with following a wolf who was younger than him. It was one of the reasons why their pack now consisted mostly of wolves that were under the age of thirty. Still, the wolves that remained were just as, if not more, loyal than the pack members of Anne’s time. And loyalty, Anne had always said, was the true measure of strength.

Louis’ smile fell a little when he saw tears fill Liam’s eyes.

“The tickets are refundable,” he added hastily, standing up to walk around the table to where the wolf sat, “If you want to change the location from Paris to somewhere else or even if you don’t want to go. I shouldn’t have presumed-”

He was interrupted by Liam’s arms coming around him in a hug that bordered on painful.

“Thank you!” the wolf was almost sobbing, “Thank you so much!”

“It was a combined effort,” Louis wheezed out, sighing in relief when Liam loosened his grip a little, “The whole pack contributed. We’ve been saving up for it since the day we found out you and Zayn had started dating.”

Liam pulled back to give Louis a startled look.

“But…” he wiped at his eyes, “I hadn’t even asked Zayn to bond with me then. How did you know?”

Louis gave the wolf a fond smile.

“Anyone who’s seen you and Zayn interact could have guessed, Liam,” he told the Beta with a chuckle, “You’ve always been the perfect match for each other. Harry and I suspected you’d realise that sooner or later.”

Liam gave a wet laugh, leaning against the table.

“Which is why I’m trying to figure out the reason behind your nervous behaviour this morning,” Louis continued, his tone turning soft when Liam’s face turned pale again, “Is it about the bonding?”

“No,” Liam shook his head, hesitated, then said, “Maybe? I just…I don’t know.”

Louis turned away to put the kettle on for tea, in the same manner his mum always did whenever he had something on his mind that he hadn’t quite found the words to express yet. It had always helped him, knowing that he had some time to get his thoughts together while his mum puttered about the kitchen.

It seemed to help Liam too, for the water had just boiled when the wolf blurted out, “What if I’m not good enough?”

“Good enough at what?” Louis asked slowly, turning back to look at the wolf.

Liam was twisting his fingers together, biting his lip in a manner that had the skin turning red.

“Just…at anything. At _everything_. What if I’m not the right one for him? What if he’s making a mistake by choosing me? What if I do something wrong and mess everything up?”

Louis finished brewing the tea and placed the steaming cup in front of Liam. The wolf didn’t drink it but he inhaled the scent and it helped reduce the gutting anxiety that was churning through his stomach. 

“You’ll probably do something wrong,” Louis said and, judging from Liam’s startled expression, that wasn’t what he had expected his Alpha to say.

“You’ll very likely make a mistake. Maybe today, or tomorrow or a month from now,” Louis continued, sitting down across from the Beta, “You and Zayn might fight about things, you might cry, you might even think the world is falling apart around you, like you’ve destroyed everything you care about.”

Louis laid a hand over Liam’s.

“Making mistakes is normal. It’s _expected_!” he told the Beta, “Zayn didn’t choose to bond with you so he could have the perfect mate who doesn’t take a single wrong step. He chose you because he knows that even when things get hard, he can depend on you to be there. He chose you because he trusts that whatever mistakes you might make, you’ll find a way to set them right; that, at the end of the day, he can count on you to be by his side, guarding his back. He chose _you_ , Liam, for who you are- flaws, strengths and everything in between. And you chose him for the same reasons. You’ll both make mistakes, you’ll have good and bad times and sometimes, you’ll learn things the hard way but those lessons will help you grow. They’ll make you stronger, better. Your love might not be perfect but it’ll be true and genuine and forever. And, if you ask me, that’s a hell of a lot better than aiming for perfection.”

Liam nodded, eyes wide as he took in Louis’ advice.

“You say that like…like you have experience with it,” Liam asked, softly.

Louis took a deep breath, remembering the fight him and Harry had gone through the morning after Harry’s tryst with Taylor. It had felt like the worst day of Louis’ life at the time.

“You could say that,” Louis shook his head, “But this isn’t about me. You still look worried. Is something else the matter?”

“It’s just that…” the wolf took a deep breath before finishing the sentence, “I’m terrified that something’s going to go wrong tonight. With…with the threat and the rogue Alpha out there somewhere.”

“Nothing’s going to happen tonight,” Louis told him with a reassuring smile, “You remember what Harry said? No threat would choose to attack a pack on the night of the blue moon. And if anything tries, they would be facing a lot of angry werewolves. We’re a family, Liam. I promise you we won’t let anyone or anything ruin this night for you both.”

Liam nodded again and his hands finally reached for the cup of tea in front of him.

“Tonight, I don’t want you to be our second-in-command,” Louis added, “I want you to be Liam, the person who’s getting bonded to the man he loves. That’s all you need to focus on. Let us take care of the rest.”

Liam’s nod this time, was one of gratefulness.

“I guess it’s just all hitting me at once,” he said, softly, “I’m…quite lucky to have Zayn.”

“He’s lucky to have you too,” Louis reminded the humble Beta, “In fact, I’m pretty sure Harry’s having the whole ‘if you break Liam’s heart’ speech with him right now.”

Liam looked mortified.

“Am I going to face a similar speech?” he asked.

“I already gave it to you when you and Zayn started dating,” Louis reminded the wolf, “Unless you’d like a refresher?”

“No! No, that’s fine,” Liam hurried to say, “And Alpha?”

“Yeah?”

“Zayn and I are lucky to have all of you with us, supporting us. Thank you. For everything.”

Louis felt tears prickle his eyes.

“Alright! Enough of the sentimental crap!” he stated, clearing his throat, just to hear Liam laugh.

He ruffled the Beta’s hair playfully, smiling to himself as he saw Liam tuck away the white envelope.

“What are your plans for the morning then?” Liam asked.

Louis grinned and reached for his backpack, retrieving the Guide from it.

“I’m going to practice. There’s something special I want to try tonight,” he answered, thinking of what Harry’s reaction to it might be, “Would you like to be my guinea pig?”

To Liam’s credit, he only hesitated for a second before nodding.

“I have confidence in you,” he told Louis with a grin.

Louis huffed out a breath.

“Well, fuck! I hope I don’t accidentally turn you into a frog then.”

Louis managed to maintain a straight face for half a second before cackling at Liam’s terrified expression. 

“You’re the worst!” Liam told him with a pout before getting up and headed towards the cupboards, “I’m getting us some snacks. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long morning.”

Louis grinned and turned his gaze to the next page of the Guide.  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The moon was out, brighter and larger than ever. Or so it felt. As the evening approached, Liam’s nerves had given way to barely contained excitement. Louis had wished him and Zayn good luck before shooing them out the door, grinning as they shot off towards the forest. 

The rest of the pack, led by Harry, had followed and half an hour in, Louis heard Harry’s howl, signalling that Zayn and Liam were to be given privacy. Judging by the answering howls, the other wolves were more than happy to obey this command, rushing off in different directions and treating the forest as if it were their own personal playground. 

Louis sat on the porch as he had always done but this time, he had a small child with him.

A child who was restless on his lap, making a sad sound every time he heard one of the pack members howling with joy. 

“Ma,” Dex peered up at him with a pout, “Go?”

He pointed in the direction the pack had gone in, clearly wanting to join them.

“We can’t, love,” Louis murmured to the boy with a sad smile, “The Blue Moon Run is only for wolves.”

“Pack,” Dex proclaimed firmly, turning his face to gnaw gently at Louis’ arm in reproach. 

“Well, yes,” Louis chuckled, shifting Dex in his lap so he was facing the woods again, “We _are_ pack but we get tired a lot faster than your dad and the Betas do. Besides, it’s nearly bedtime for you.”

Dex frowned, unhappy with this revelation. 

“But you know what we _can_ do?” Louis whispered in mock secrecy, earning a curious, wide-eyed look from the toddler, “We can hunt out those banana muffins your dad made for Zayn and Liam and eat a couple of them before bed.”

“Yum!” Dex clapped his hands, apparently delighted by this turn of events.

Louis grinned, hoisting the boy up onto his hip as he stood. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

By the time Harry returned from the run and found them, Louis was curled up on the couch with Dex tucked in beside him. They were both sleeping soundly, the television on in the background.

Harry had chosen to shift back to his human form for the remainder of the night, stopping by his bedroom to grab some clothes so he wouldn’t be naked. In his wolf form, he wasn’t entirely certain he possessed the self-restraint to wait until Jay came to pick Dex up, before dragging his mate to the bedroom. 

He knelt beside Louis now and allowed his wolf the satisfaction of reaching out to stroke his fingers lightly over the younger man’s cheek. Louis made a soft noise in his sleep.

“Beautiful,” Harry murmured under his breath, leaning over to press a kiss to Louis’ cheek, subconsciously scenting him.

The touch was enough to jolt Louis awake.

“Shit!” Louis murmured, his voice husky with sleep, “Hazza, you’re back.”

“I am,” Harry agreed, amusedly. 

“Mum texted me half an hour ago,” Louis informed him on a yawn, “She should be here in a few minutes to get Dex.”

“Perfect. Liam and Zayn have headed to the North border of the woods to complete their bonding and the Betas are somewhere to the East which means none of them are within hearing range,” Harry smirked.

“Whatever shall we do with that information?” Louis teased, reaching up to wind his arms around Harry’s neck.

“Well, I’m not trying to suggest anything but there’s an empty house and a conveniently equipped bedroom at our disposal,” Harry murmured back with a smile before leaning down and capturing Louis’ lips in a kiss.  
A series of kisses, really.

His wolf was restless. It wanted to claim Louis in every way possible and Louis seemed to realise this for he gave a low moan before pulling away and placing a hand on Harry’s chest, keeping him from advancing further.

Harry whined, unable to stop himself from lightly pawing at Louis’ chest in a petulant manner. 

“Patience is a virtue, Harold,” Louis chuckled, a mischievous spark entering his eye. 

“What are you planning?” Harry asked at once, suspicion piqued.

“What makes you think I’m planning anything?” Louis responded, wearing an affronted look, which only served to put Harry more on guard.

Before the wolf could reply, he heard the sound of tyres coming up the drive.

“Jay’s here,” he announced, reaching past Louis to pick up the sleeping Dex.

He didn’t notice the smirk Louis wore as he followed him out the door.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

His wolf figured it out before he did. The moment Jay had pulled away from the driveway, Dex fastened securely in his car seat, Harry turned around to face Louis. Except, the man was nowhere to be seen.

Harry growled without knowing why but then he heard it, a soft whisper coming from the direction of the forest.

“Catch me if you want me, Alpha.”

Louis’ voice was a teasing challenge; one that very much appealed to his wolf. Harry was shifting before he knew it, senses zoning in on Louis’ heartbeat and the familiar thrum of their bond. A scent of amusement filled the air and, when Harry tuned in even deeper, a scent of arousal followed in its wake. 

Harry gave a low growl; a signal that the challenge had been accepted. He waited a minute, giving Louis enough time to get a head-start. His mate wanted to play. Harry was happy to acquiesce to the demand.

He followed the trail Louis was leaving, his senses focused on their bond until, suddenly and without any warning, he felt the bond disappear. Harry’s first instinct was to howl, fear and dread clawing at him but a second later, he realised the bond was still there. Just…muted. 

Harry growled again, this time in warning. He felt a small wave of guilt flood through the bond before it was replaced by one of reassurance and playful teasing. Louis was letting him know he was alright. Harry huffed out a breath when he finally understood Louis’ intention.

The bond was muted because Louis had mastered a spell that allowed him to temporarily block it. Harry could only sense the emotions Louis wanted him to sense and, more importantly for Louis’ purpose, he could no longer use the bond as a compass to guide him to his mate.

It was almost as if Louis wanted him to _prove_ his worth. The breeze was making it difficult for Harry to track his mate by scent alone so he paused to think. Louis was clever but Harry had grown up with him. He knew his mind as well as he knew Harry’s. With one last look in the direction he had last sensed his mate, Harry pushed his instincts back and let his knowledge of Louis lead him. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The challenge Louis had set for Harry had just been for a bit of fun. He knew how playful the wolf became on full moon nights and he had thought this would be a great start to the evening.

He had used the spell he had learnt in the Guide to temporarily block their bond so it was more of a challenge for Harry to find him but, after ten minutes of weaving between trees and sticking to the perimeters where he could view the house so he wouldn’t get lost, Louis was getting bored of the game.

Surely Harry should have found him by now? He glanced around the forest, seeing nothing but the shadow of trees. Harry was probably hiding somewhere, waiting for him to unwittingly step into his path. Louis wasn’t going to give in _that_ easily!

He smirked to himself, turning back towards the Manor. It was the last place the wolf would expect him to be, having seen him run off in the opposite direction.

Louis was feeling rather clever as he snuck into the Manor, which was why he jumped and let out a scream when the front door slammed shut behind him. His heart rate didn’t calm down much when he saw that the door had been nudged shut by the snout of a familiar, large, black wolf.

“Hazza!” Louis couldn’t hold back the shock and surprise in his tone, “How the hell did you find me?”

Harry growled, stalking closer. Louis gulped, instinctively taking a step back. The wolf had never looked more like a predator than he did at this instant and Louis had never felt more like prey.

His fight or flight instincts kicked in and he spun on his heels, darting for the stairs. He heard Harry growl behind him but Louis had gotten the advantage of a head start and he didn’t dare look back. He headed for the bedroom, trying to mentally calculate whether he would have enough time to close the door before Harry reached him. From the heavy footsteps behind him, he very much doubted it.

Louis had barely entered the room when he felt teeth nip lightly at his ankle, letting him know the game was up.

“Alright! Fine!” Louis panted, half-laughing as he collapsed onto the bed.

A moment later, Harry was crawling on top of him, pressing him down against the mattress. Louis bit his lip as he realised Harry was naked, having just shifted back to his human form.

Louis glanced at the door but any thought of continuing the game was put to a firm halt when Harry gently bit at his collarbone before nosing along the soft skin there.

“No more games, Lou,” the wolf told him, voice husky, “Don’t want to wait anymore. You’re mine now.”

Lips claimed his, the kiss hard and possessive.

“Yeah,” Louis managed to breathe out when Harry pulled back, “Yours. Always.”

Harry growled in approval, his claws extending. Louis should have seen it coming but he still yelped when Harry dragged a claw along the seam of his trousers, splitting the material open. 

“Harry!”

His shout of incredulity was ignored as Harry proceeded to shred Louis’ shirt and pants in a similar manner, taking care to never graze the soft skin beneath. Louis’ protests died in his throat when Harry’s body pressed against his, now skin to skin. The wolf was warmer than Louis was and everywhere Harry touched seemed to start a slow burn within him that had nothing to do with the temperature.

“Stop blocking it,” Harry murmured against his ear, tugging at his earlobe with gentle teeth, “I want to feel you. I need to know you’re with me.”

Louis took a deep breath and let the block he had spelled dissipate, letting the bond between him and Harry snap back into place. The feelings flooded through him, stronger now. What had previously been a slow burn turned into a needy ache and Louis felt his body writhe under the onslaught of emotions. It was difficult to differentiate his feelings from that of Harry’s. 

“God, Louis,” Harry whined, nuzzling at the spot behind his ear, “You always smell so fucking good.”

“If you’re just planning on scenting me for the rest of the evening, I-”

Louis’ words cut off on a shaky breath when Harry began to press firm kisses along his skin. The wolf started with his neck, each kiss growing progressively more wet and possessive as he worked his way down. 

“This your idea of romance, Styles?” Louis muttered, trying for sarcastic. 

His voice still came out a little breathily. 

“I’m just getting started babe,” the Alpha answered with a smirk that made Louis shiver.

Louis opened his mouth to respond but, when Harry moved lower and pressed a hard kiss over one of his nipples, Louis let out a choked cry.

It only seemed to spur Harry on for, instead of continuing along his path, he proceeded to suck Louis’ nipple into his mouth, humming in approval as it hardened further under the treatment. Louis groaned, his body instinctively arching up into the heat of Harry’s mouth, wanting more. His hips canted upwards, seeking friction and for one blessed moment, he got his wish as his cock brushed against Harry’s thigh.

“Fuck,” Louis whined when Harry’s hands held him down, stilling the movement of his hips, “Hazza, come on!”

Harry didn’t answer but his mouth moved away from his nipples and began to descend lower, nipping lightly at the soft skin of Louis’ abdomen as he went. Louis nearly cried when he felt his mate’s warm breath against the part of him that was hot and begging to be touched.

Louis opened his mouth, ready to beg if he had to, but all that left his lips was a loud moan as Harry chose that moment to suck him down. Large hands moved under him, grasping his arse and pulling him closer.

Louis managed to pry open his eyes which had closed in pleasure and sat up on his elbows to watch Harry. The sight of the wolf, his cheeks hollowed out and mouth sucking on the head of his cock, almost made Louis lose it.

As if sensing this, Harry pulled back, licking his lips. Louis may have whimpered in response.

“Do you have any idea what you look like right now?” Harry growled out, his voice hoarse.

Louis bit his lip and shook his head.

“Gorgeous,” Harry told him, emerald eyes wide with sincerity, “You look gorgeous.”

The wolf didn’t even give him a chance to come up with a clever reply before he swallowed him down again, hands wrapping around the rest of his length.

“Fucking hell,” Louis groaned out, letting his head fall back as Harry took in more of his cock with practiced ease. 

He let himself enjoy the feeling of wet heat for a few more moments before he reluctantly tapped Harry on the shoulder.

“I’m-” he cut off with a guttural moan, back arching off the bed when Harry hummed around him, “Fuck! If you don’t stop, I’m gonna-”

Louis nearly sobbed when Harry pulled away, leaving his cock wet and throbbing with need. He was slightly mollified when he saw Harry grab the new bottle of lube from the bedside table. He tried not to think about which Beta might have left that there for them but clearly, he owed them a fucking gift basket! 

Harry’s other hand was hovering over a pack of condoms. He glanced over at Louis, biting his lip the way he did when he had something to say but wasn’t certain how to say it.

“Tell me,” Louis told him, sitting up.

“Uh…well, I was thinking…we don’t-” Harry cleared his throat, a trace of embarrassment coating his cheeks for the first time tonight as he continued, “We can use them if you want but I’m clean and werewolves don’t get-”

“I know,” Louis interrupted the wolf impatiently, “I was there when your mum gave the whole pack the sex talk. It’s hard to forget it.”

Harry winced, the memory clearly not having gotten any more pleasant over the years. 

“Made us draw those fucking diagrams,” Harry muttered under his breath, ducking his head when Louis laughed, “Shut up! I know they gave you nightmares too!”

“Well, how could I have not had nightmares?” Louis grinned at the wolf, his eyes sparkling with mirth, “Your drawing skills were abysmal! I couldn’t tell if it was a penis or a banana!”

“Like yours was any better,” Harry muttered back, petulantly, “And, for your information, I was going for an ambiguous interpretation. It was supposed to look like a banana.”

It was ridiculous. Harry was ridiculous. Louis couldn’t stop himself from smiling at the wolf, fondly which just proved how gone for Harry he was. He loved their comfortable dynamic but, as he shifted his legs, he was reminded of their initial conversation.

“I’m clean too,” Louis brought them back to the matter at hand, “So stop talking about bananas and get your arse over here please.”

He should have seen it coming but he still squealed when Harry grabbed him by the ankles and pulled him towards the edge of the bed. He kicked out ineffectively until Harry’s hands stilled him. 

“It’s not my arse I want to concern myself with tonight,” Harry smirked, ignoring Louis’ scoff of, “A bucket of charm, you are.”

Louis felt the wolf settle between his legs and heard a soft snuffling sound followed by a pleased purr. It took him a moment to identify what the wolf was doing.

“Are you…did you just _smell_ me?” Louis lifted his head to check, only to see a flash of silver glaring back at him.

“Lie still!” Harry growled, grip tightening.

Louis narrowed his eyes at the wolf, who was taking his own sweet time with it all. He focused on the bond and something must have filtered across because Harry’s eyes widened.

“Lou-” he warned but before he could complete the sentence, Louis grabbed the rope-like bond that connected them and yanked it forward, sending Harry tumbling into him.

Louis’ glee only lasted for a second before he realised he was now in the perfect position to be pinned down. 

“Um…oops?” Louis tried, putting on his most innocent expression

Harry’s weight pressed against him, keeping him still. Green eyes met his and the wolf nipped at his neck before growling back, “Hi.”

“You were taking too long,” Louis pouted, changing tactics.

“You’re just too impatient,” Harry retorted, giving Louis’ arse a light pinch. 

Before Louis could retaliate, a warm hand ran across his arse cheeks and slick fingers gently probed at his entrance. Louis bit his lip, hands instinctively reaching up. He needed to touch Harry; to make sure this wasn’t all just a particularly good dream.

“Relax babe,” Harry murmured to him as Louis wound his arms around the wolf’s shoulder, his fingers digging into Harry’s skin.

Harry’s mouth trailed over his cheek before returning to their favourite position on his neck. Louis groaned softly as Harry proceeded to suck yet another love bite onto the area. Each nip of the Alpha’s teeth sent sparks of pleasure racing across him and, when Harry laved over the mark with his tongue, Louis felt his toes curl.

He was so caught up in the feeling that he didn’t notice Harry’s lubed finger sliding into him, slowly opening him up. 

“That’s it, love,” Harry murmured, huskily, “Doing so well.”

Harry set a slow pace, making sure he had adjusted before sliding another finger in to join the first. For once, Louis didn’t complain, letting Harry take the lead and enjoying the slight burn as each new finger was added.

He let out a cry of pleasure when the wolf found a particularly sensitive spot inside him. 

“Does that feel good, Lou?” Harry asked and Louis could do nothing but rock back against Harry’s fingers, wordlessly begging him to rub against that spot again. It felt as if he were on fire, being ignited from within. He let his eyes flutter shut, arching into Harry’s touch, trusting the wolf completely.

“You’re so perfect, Louis,” Harry breathed, his voice thick with desire as his fingers explored Louis’ hole, “Absolutely perfect for me.”

Louis opened his eyes and noticed that the wolf was rocking his own hips against the mattress. Louis let him continue for a few more minutes before he pushed at Harry’s shoulders, making the older man stop his actions.

“Okay, I’m ready,” Louis panted out, wriggling away from Harry’s careful ministrations, “I need you in me now.”

He looked up at Harry and something in his eyes must have convinced the wolf because Harry nodded, wiping his fingers messily on the sheets.

Louis watched, confused, as Harry situated himself against the bed’s headrest, slathering lube on himself with a skilled hand. He blinked blankly when the wolf gestured for him to come closer.

“What…?” Louis’ mouth fell open as he realised what Harry was trying to do, “You want me to…ride you?”

“Do you want to ride me?” Harry asked instead of answering.

The red hot feeling of lust that rushed through Louis answered that question clearly and Harry groaned in response as the feeling surged through the bond they shared.

“Fuck yeah,” Louis breathed out anyway, crawling over to where Harry sat, “How should I…?”

He let Harry help him get into position. The wolf’s eyes were dark with lust, the green barely present. 

“Just take your time and-” Harry cut off with a loud moan when Louis lowered himself down, taking in his cock bit by bit.

“Fuck!” Harry breathed out, his hands sliding up and down Louis’ sides, “So fucking good, Lou.”

Louis groaned as he bottomed out and waited for a few seconds, allowing himself to adjust to Harry’s size. He looked into Harry’s eyes when the wolf’s hands squeezed at his waist.

“Lou, I want to tell you to take your time,” the Alpha gritted out, “And I’m gonna sound like a selfish prick but tonight’s the full moon and I’m barely holding onto my control. If you don’t move soon, I…I can’t be held accountable for my actions.”

Louis narrowed his eyes at the wolf.

“How are you still talking?” he muttered, “I read that people aren’t supposed to talk when they have mind-blowingly good sex.”

And okay! So he had done some research because he had been a tad nervous about tonight. 

Harry tilted his head to the side in much the same manner as a confused puppy.

“Why were you reading about-?”  
Harry’s question turned into a drawn out moan when Louis started to move. It felt natural, easy. He was exploring Harry’s body for the first time but for some reason, it felt as if he had always known it. Harry matched him, thrust for thrust, hands alternating between grasping at Louis’ waist and his arse. When Louis’ fingers brushed over the tattooed letter on Harry’s chest, the wolf shuddered, his body leaning into Louis’ touch.

“Lou,” Harry’s voice was more a growl than human, “I’m not gonna last.”

Louis nodded, slowing down his movements in an attempt to get what he was craving for. He was close too but he couldn’t seem to quite get…  
Louis let out a frustrated noise.

He gasped when he suddenly found their positions reversed, Harry now on top. Louis had a second to register the feel of the soft sheets against his back and to take a breath before the wolf’s lips were back on his- needy and possessive; taking and giving at the same time. Louis’ fingers tangled in his brunette locks, pulling at them to make Harry groan.

Harry’s mouth moved back to Louis’ neck, the slight edge of pain only driving Louis on. He bit his lip to stop himself from shouting when Harry started to thrust harder, consistently hitting that spot inside him that made him see stars. Louis felt the wave inside him rise and he blindly reached for Harry’s hand.

“Harry,” he moaned, struggling to keep his eyes open, “H..Hazza!”

“I love you, Lou,” Harry whispered in his ear, his voice sounding rough and thick, “I’ve got you. Let go, babe.”

And that was all Louis could take. He let himself fall, his orgasm crashing through him. Some part of him was vaguely aware of Harry moaning and shouting out his name and the feel of teeth sinking into his neck as the wolf followed him into ecstasy. 

Louis closed his eyes and just let himself drift, confident in the knowledge that, with Harry, he would always be safe.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Apparently, scenting was still a thing. The Alpha was nosing at Louis’ neck, inspecting the bite mark he had left with a pleased huff and licking over it from time to time. It was a form of claiming for werewolves, one that was permanent when given to another werewolf but Louis knew that it would heal without a trace on a human. He had done his research. In fact, it was already starting to heal as Harry licked over it, his saliva speeding up the process.

“Caveman,” Louis accused him with a grin.

“You mean, werewolf,” Harry countered with an unapologetic smirk, dragging his nose along the column of Louis’ neck, “You smell like-”

“Sex? Sweat? In need of a shower?” Louis guessed.

Harry scrunched up his nose.

“Well, yeah, that too.”

Louis ineffectively shoved at the wolf’s chest, pouting when Harry only chuckled and tightened his arms around his younger mate.

“I was going to say, you smell like mine. Like home. You always do but now it’s…stronger.”

Louis hid his smile against Harry’s neck, his fingers absently tracing over the wolf’s tattoo.

“D,” he murmured out loud, “Do you think you got it for Dex? D for Declan?”

Harry frowned, staring down at the ornate tattoo.

“I…maybe? It sounds like something I would do,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair, “I wish I could remember everything.”

“You will,” Louis reassured him, “James said it would take time.”

“I guess so,” Harry nodded.

To take his mind off the matter, Louis tilted his head up for a kiss. 

“So demanding,” Harry chuckled but acquiesced at once, letting Louis take control.

“Should have picked someone else to fall in love with then,” Louis smirked back, pressing another kiss to the wolf’s lips.

“Mm,” Harry smiled, eyes radiant,“Too late now, I suppose. We’re stuck with each other.”

“Pity.”

“Heartbreaking.”

“I love you a lot,” Louis confessed softly, grinning when he found himself being pulled closer to the Alpha.

“You make me feel whole,” Harry whispered against his lips, “You’re the only one who has ever done that.”

Louis flushed, his whole body turning red at the genuineness in Harry’s tone. He drew the wolf into another kiss. When Louis finally pulled away, it was with obvious reluctance.

“We should get cleaned up,” he suggested, shivering when he saw the look in Harry’s eyes.

“We should,” the wolf nodded, pressing Louis more firmly against the mattress and running a hand over his naked body, lightly palming at his rapidly inflating cock.

“We won’t have enough time for a shower before the Betas get back,” Louis rasped out, his protests lighthearted at best.

“I take that as a personal challenge,” Harry murmured back before rolling them over and proceeding to show Louis just how efficient he could be with time.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Liam and Zayn returned ten minutes after the rest of the pack had arrived back at the Manor. Louis smiled as he saw the small sliver of silver on the scruff of Zayn’s neck that marked him as a bonded wolf. Liam had a similar mark, one he displayed proudly by tilting his head back and letting out a single, happy howl. The marks would only be present when they were in their wolf forms but the mate bond between them could be sensed by every wolf that came near the pair, regardless of which form they were in.

Zayn trotted up to Louis and dropped what appeared to be a rabbit, at his feet. Harry, now in his wolf form once more, let out a huff that sounded suspiciously like laughter. 

Liam followed his mate’s lead and took his prize (some sort of animal that was too mangled for Louis to recognise it) to Harry, who rubbed his muzzle against Liam’s cheek in a sign of graceful acceptance.

“Um…yes, that’s…thank you,” Louis managed to say, kneeling down to pet Zayn’s head.

The wolf licked his cheek in response before stepping back to stand beside Liam. Harry turned to Louis, picking up the creature that Liam had deposited at his feet and dropping it in front of his mate. 

Louis glared at Harry, whose eyes were sparkling with ill-contained mirth.

“As much as I appreciate the gesture,” Louis gritted out through his teeth, keeping his voice to a whisper so Zayn and Liam wouldn’t hear and be offended, “I’d appreciate it a hell of a lot more if you could get rid of these offerings.”

Harry bumped his head against Louis’ shoulder to show he was only joking before nodding at Nick, who removed the mangled creatures from Louis’ sight, much to his relief. 

Louis waited for Harry’s soft growl, which effectively silenced the rest of the pack, before he stood up and said, “Liam and Zayn, as Betas of the Styles pack, your new status as bonded mates has been acknowledged and accepted by the pack and your Alphas.”

Louis paused when he saw Zayn’s tail wag. He had never seen Zayn that affectionate before. It was a clear sign of his happiness. 

“Uh…you’ve got the Manor to yourselves for the night,” Louis added, gesturing to the open doors of the house, “Dinner’s in the fridge so…you know, enjoy.”

Louis glanced at Harry, who tilted his head slightly to reassure his mate that he had mentioned all the important things. Then, Harry raised his head and gave a long howl. One by one, the other Betas joined in, leaving just Zayn and Liam, who bowed their heads in gratitude for the acceptance from their pack. 

The official part of the evening done, Louis headed for his car, knowing that Harry and the rest of the Betas would follow him as they headed back to his house. Still, it wasn’t much of a surprise when Harry chose to clamber into the passenger seat after him, nosing at his cheek when Louis gave him an exasperated look.

“Overprotective, Hazza,” he told the wolf but the words were fond and the Alpha’s growl was definitely not one of apology.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dex had woken up the moment he heard the whole pack troop into Louis’ house. 

Jay sighed, picking up the toddler who immediately started demanding to see, “Ma! Dada! Ma!”

“What you need, is a solid night’s sleep,” Jay told the child but she still carried him downstairs with her. She froze on the last step when she saw that the whole pack, apart from her own son, were literally wolves. 

“I thought they could shift back on the night of the blue moon?” Jay enquired, remembering what Louis had told her.

“They can,” Louis agreed, “But they would be stark naked and that’s not a sight I want to scar you with.”

Harry nipped lightly at Louis’ ankle, letting him know what he thought of that statement. 

“Yes, I know you think being naked is more freeing but that is not something my _mother_ needs to witness,” Louis hissed to the black wolf, who let out a forlorn sigh.

Jay watched their interaction quietly, a small smile on her face. 

“This one missed you all,” Jay said, walking over and handing the wriggling toddler over to Louis. 

She observed quietly as Dex threw his arms around her son, sleepily rubbing his cheek against Louis’ to scent him.

“I missed you too, love,” Louis murmured to him before placing him down and letting him stand on the ground, keeping ahold of his arms so Dex wouldn’t fall down in his sleepy state. 

Harry licked the boy’s cheek, causing Dex to giggle and hide his face against Louis’ legs. 

The Betas instinctively scented Dex by brushing past him on their way up the stairs. After exchanging a glance with Louis, Harry gently reached for the toddler, picking him up by by the collar of his jumper with careful teeth. Dex squealed with laughter as Harry carried him in much the same manner he would carry a wolf cub by the scruff of its neck and Louis stared after them, fond beyond measure.

“I have an early shift at the hospital tomorrow,” Jay suddenly announced, shifting Louis’ focus back to her, “So I’m going to head up to bed. You’ll make sure everyone’s settled?”

“Yeah,” Louis nodded, “Thanks for looking after Dex tonight, Mum.”

“He was no trouble,” Jay answered, “He slept the whole way through.”

“He’s a good kid,” Louis replied with a proud smile.

“He is. How could he not be? After all, he’s being raised by two of the nicest boys I know,” Jay said with a smile, leaving a blushing Louis behind.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Jay had always prided herself on knowing her son. She had formed an image in her mind of him as this curious, wide-eyed, reckless young boy who hung around with a pack of werewolves and craved for their approval.

The problem was, a couple of years ago Jay had come to the realisation that she did not know her son as well as she had thought. 

It had been a shock when she saw him take charge of the pack as if he had been doing it his whole life. She had been amazed at the way the wolves responded to him. They didn’t treat him as a human teenager who followed them around, desperate to fit in. They treated him as an integral part of their pack, as a leader they would obey unquestioningly. The level of trust the pack had for Louis had astounded her and Harry’s decision to leave him in charge had suddenly made perfect sense. 

It was difficult for Jay to remember that her son was no longer the six year old who had wanted to be a wolf so he could go on full moon runs with the pack. It wasn’t as easy as she pretended, to accept that the werewolves were more than just friends to Louis. They were his pack, his family, just as much as she was. And Harry…

Jay could almost sense the change in their dynamic. That steady friendship they had always cherished had grown into something stronger; something _more_. Louis now had a sparkle in his eye that had been missing during the years of Harry’s absence and Harry wore a constant smile, eyes soft as he tracked his boyfriend across the room, blushing and turning away whenever he saw Jay watching. And, despite it all, Jay trusted Harry. She trusted him to look after Louis and to let Louis look after him. In some ways, she always had, from the moment the ten year old wolf had informed her that he was her six year old son’s best friend. 

Jay closed the bedroom door behind her with a smile. She knelt down and removed the box she had stashed under her bed shortly after Harry’s departure two years ago. Inside the cardboard box, was a photo album filled with pictures. Her and Anne had started creating this when Harry and Louis had still been children. Anne had always told her it would be a great gift to give Louis when he graduated- a collage of all his years growing up.

A part of Jay wondered if Anne had known what their children would become to each other; if that had been why she picked out this particular photo album. Because now, the word ‘Home’, which was emblazoned on the front page above the picture of a young Louis and Harry hugging, held a deeper meaning. ‘Home’ didn’t just represent the physical place they had grown up in; it stood for pack, it represented family, it meant finding solace in each other. 

The last photo in the unfinished album was one of Liam, Zayn, Niall, Louis and Harry, standing on a field with smiles on their faces and mud on their shoes. Louis had a football tucked under his arm. They had been just children back then. Times had changed.

Jay reached for her camera, pulling up the more recent photos she had taken. A photo of a laughing Dex came up, his smile identical to Harry’s and his eyes twinkling. This photo album was supposed to be a snapshot of Louis’ life. It seemed wrong not to have Dex in there.

Jay took a deep breath and decided it was time to finish what her and Anne had started all those years ago. Except, it was no longer a gift for Louis alone. It would be a gift for both him and Harry, something to always remind them of home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are going to take an unexpected turn in the next chapter but everything will work out in the end. I don’t know exactly when the next update will be as I’m still travelling but I will have it up as soon as I can. I cherish all comments so please leave one if you have the time <3 xx


	16. XVI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the support and positive messages I’ve been getting for this fic! I struggled a bit with writing this chapter but I’m happy with how it turned out. Enjoy :) xx

The breakfast table at the Tomlinson house was a chaotic mess. Dex was still sleeping but all the other wolves were up, scoffing down breakfast as if they hadn’t seen food in days.

Louis tried to enjoy the familiarity of the scene, ignoring the strategy and defence plans they would have to deal with once breakfast was over. Harry hadn’t talked about the looming threat on the horizon but Louis knew it was on the back of his mind. The blue moon was over so they couldn’t ignore it any longer.

Liam and Zayn had arrived half an hour ago, holding hands and attempting to contain their grins. Liam blushed every time any of the Betas even hinted at a teasing comment. Zayn, on the other hand, just flipped them off with a contented smile on his face.

They both looked tired but happy and every few minutes, each of them would rub at the area on their necks where the mating mark would be if they had still been in their wolf forms.

Louis didn’t see any harm in utilising his Numen powers to view the physical manifestation of the newly formed bond between his two Betas. It was made up of a series of thin, interwoven threads of red and yellow that extended between them. While it wasn’t quite as thick as the one between Louis and Harry, it was thicker than any of the bonds the other members shared.

Each time they touched- Zayn leaning his head against Liam’s shoulder or Liam brushing a hand against Zayn’s thigh- the bond would pulsate with a glowing light. It felt like a symbol of vitality and Louis smiled to himself as he glanced away, letting the newly-bonded couple have some semblance of privacy amidst the crowded kitchen table.

Of course, all of his good intentions to not tease Zayn and Liam disappeared the moment Zayn casually asked, “Any reason why you’re wearing a turtleneck this morning, Alpha?”

Louis glared at the smirking Beta, hearing muffled snickers ring out around the table.

“It’s cold,” he muttered, self-consciously tugging the collar up higher and praying none of the marks Harry had left on his neck could be seen.

Louis had always suspected the wolf was possessive but he had still blushed when he saw the physical reminders of last night in the mirror this morning.

“Not _that_ cold,” Cara grinned, glancing over at Harry who was hiding his smile against the rim of his coffee cup, “Anything you’d like to add, Alpha?”

“Nope,” Jay’s voice floated over to them before Harry could respond.

She was standing by the stove, having offered to make breakfast for all the tired wolves before heading off to work.  
“I do not need to hear about any nightly shenanigans between my son and Harry,” she firmly stated.

“I do!” Niall piped up, earning a slap on the arm from Jesy for his trouble.

“Who said it was Harry?” Louis muttered, petulantly, only to glance across the table and see the aforementioned Alpha sitting there with a satisfied smirk on his face.

The Betas burst out into fits of laughter and even Jay let out a chuckle, shaking her head.

“It was me,” Harry confirmed in case there had been any lingering doubt, grinning at the narrow-eyed look his mate threw his way.

Niall let out a wolf-whistle and more giggles erupted around the table.

“As I said, I do not want to hear it!” Jay repeated, turning the volume of the radio up so she could drown out the conversation around her.

Perhaps it was for Jay’s benefit (although Louis liked to think it had been to prevent him from further humiliation) that Harry changed the topic.

“Niall? Nick? Aren’t you two supposed to be doing the morning perimeter checks?” the Alpha asked, heading for the brewed pot of coffee Jay had left on the kitchen counter.

“That’s our next stop,” Nick answered, finishing off the last few bites of his breakfast. 

“I need to grab my shoes,” Niall said, standing up and rushing off up the stairs to find them.

“Cara? Go with them, please,” Harry told the Beta as he returned to the table.

He lowered his voice to prevent Jay from overhearing.

“The blue moon’s over so, until the threat’s been neutralised, I want you to stay inside the territory and watch each other’s backs. Make sure that whenever you leave the house, you’re in groups of three at the very least.”

“Strength in numbers,” Louis agreed and Cara nodded, getting up from the table.

Louis smiled as he felt the warmth of Harry behind him, a second before the Alpha wrapped his arms around his waist. Louis leant back against the wolf and Harry rested his head against Louis’ shoulder, breathing in the comforting scent that belonged to his mate.

“I love you,” Harry whispered, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Louis felt his smile grow. He was about to reply when Niall’s shout came from the kitchen door.

“Whose is this?”

The blonde was standing there with his shoes clutched in one hand and something small and silver clasped in the other.

“It was under the bed. Saw it when I was getting my shoes.”

“It’s Dex’s,” Nick responded, glancing uninterestedly at the ring they had discovered in Dex’s jeans’ pocket all those weeks ago.

“I left it on the table. It must have fallen off and rolled under the bed-” Louis began but he paused when he felt Harry’s body stiffen behind him. 

The wolf’s eyes had gone wide, unblinkingly fixed on the ring. His lips were parted in shock and, when Louis reached out to gently cup his cheek, he started to shake.

“Hazza?” Louis asked, his voice soft, “Harry, what’s wrong? Look at me.”

The Betas had tensed around them, reacting to the fear and confusion that was emitting off their Alphas. Jay had turned off the radio and was now watching the scene unfolding before her with worried eyes.

“I…I’ve seen it before,” Harry finally rasped out, his hands unconsciously grasping Louis’ hips, as if to ground himself.

His eyes met Louis’, the green irises cloudy and more animalistic than human. It reminded Louis of the night when Harry had first returned and had hardly recognised the pack.

“Harry, I’m right here, love,” Louis moved closer to the wolf, never dropping his gaze, “Stay with me. What are you talking about?”

“Th..the ring. _That_ ring! I’ve seen it before,” Harry’s words came out with a waver, “It’s hers. It’s Taylor’s.”

The silence that followed Harry’s words were deafening.

“What?” Louis croaked out, “You remember her?”

Harry shook his head, eyes still unfocused.

“Not all of it. Just…the ring. I remember seeing it on her. She never took it off but I can’t remember why or…I just…I can’t remember enough!”

Louis pulled the wolf into a hug. Harry’s hands trembled as he held onto Louis, the frustration of not having all his memories taking the form of angry tears.

“It’s okay,” Louis shushed him, carding a hand through his curls and letting the wolf sag against him, “We’ll figure it out. We always do.”

“I know you don’t want me involved with pack business but I have to ask,” Jay’s voice cut across the silent room, “Why can’t Harry remember?”

Louis glanced over at the concern in his mum’s eyes, then at the Betas who all looked scared and unsure, waiting to take their cues from Louis. He opened his mouth to answer, guilt coursing through him as he thought of yet another excuse to feed his mum, but Harry beat him to it.

“We’ve been keeping something from you,” the wolf said, lifting his head from where it had been buried in Louis’ hair.

He squeezed Louis’ hand reassuringly, cutting off his potential protests, before turning to face Jay.

“It’s…difficult to explain but I..um…I have hardly any memories of the last two years of my life,” Harry announced.

The cup of tea Jay had been holding crashed to the floor but Jay’s voice remained calm and composed when she said, “Right. Well, I think we should all take a seat and start this story from the beginning.”

She turned towards the living room before throwing a glance over her shoulder.

“And in case it wasn’t clear, that wasn’t a request.”

Not a single wolf or human dared to protest.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It had taken them a while to explain the basics to Jay. They still left out most of it, including Harry and Louis being bonded, but she was now aware that they had gone to see Alpha Corden and gotten a diagnosis for Harry’s memory problems.

“A memory block,” Jay murmured out loud to herself, seemingly amazed, “I’ve never heard of such a thing!”

“Neither had we,” Louis muttered from his spot on the sofa next to Harry.

“It sounds quite similar to amnesia,” Jay said, studying Harry, “Some patients develop amnesia- a type of memory loss- after they’ve experienced severe trauma. I’ve heard of many patients that go back to the scene of the trauma and that sometimes helps trigger their memory. Have you tried that?”

A heavy silence followed her words as every pack member realised that none of them had considered the possibility of actively helping Harry’s memory return. They had all taken James Corden at his word and had been waiting for it to return on its own.

“Would that work?” Louis finally asked the question they were all thinking.

“I’m not sure,” Jay answered, truthfully, “It’s been effective for some human patients. I don’t know how different it will be for werewolves. Still, no harm in trying, right?”

Louis glanced at Harry. The wolf’s palm was closed around the ring Niall had found.

“Hazza?”

“She’s right,” Harry finally looked up and his eyes, when they met Louis’, contained a determined gleam.

It was the same look he had worn the day after Anne’s funeral, when he had given his first order as Alpha of the pack; the same determination he had displayed when he decided to go to London so he could be a good father to Dex.

It was that look which told Louis he meant the words he said next.

“I’m done with waiting for my memories to return to me,” Harry stated, eyes flashing once, “I’m going to go and find the answers.”

“How?” Perrie asked.

Harry took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. 

“By going back to London.”

Protests rang out around the room, voices raised in both concern and conflict. Harry ignored them all, his eyes remaining fastened on Louis’. In them, Louis could see the unspoken plea for understanding.

“Just for a week. I need to figure out what happened during my time there. If seeing the Swift pack again brings back my memories…I’ve got to give it a try, Lou.”

He must have felt the fear and worry Louis was feeling through their bond because he reached for Louis’ hand, squeezing it reassuringly, “Louis, I’ll be back soon. I promise. I’ll come back.”

Louis looked away and he hated the way his voice shook when he said, “Those are the exact words you told me last time.”

No one spoke because everyone in the room knew how that promise had been followed by two years of radio silence from Harry.

“Baby,” Harry was suddenly in his personal space, hands clasping Louis’ and his green eyes wide with apology, “I’m not gonna let that happen again. That’s why I need to go back. So we can finally understand what happened during that time.”

And Louis understood. He did! But no amount of rational reasoning was helping to calm his fears. His mind was screaming at him that letting Harry return to London alone was a bad idea and this time, he wasn’t going to ignore his instincts.

“I know it’s fucking selfish of me,” he said, shakily, “I know that but I can’t let you leave us again, Hazza. A week, a day, it doesn’t matter. I can’t go through that again.”

“Lou,” Harry murmured as he pulled Louis in, pressing a soft kiss to the man’s lips.

“You’re not selfish. You’re the most selfless person I know,” the wolf whispered, his thumb brushing lightly across Louis’ cheek, subtly scenting him, “And if you ask me to stay, I will. Nothing’s more important to me than you and the pack.”

“Not even your memories?” Louis mumbled, watching as Harry’s lips quirked up.

“I’ve got all the ones that matter,” the Alpha answered.

Louis was pretty sure he heard someone whisper, “That’s a bit cute, innit?” followed by the sound of his Mum blowing her nose.

“Right,” he pulled away from Harry, clearing his throat, “But you…you should go.”

Harry frowned.

“But you just said-”

“I know what I said,” Louis interrupted, “And I meant it. I’m not comfortable letting you go alone so I’m coming with you.”

Harry opened his mouth to protest before shutting it again.

“You’d come with me? Even if it means…seeing her?” He asked.

Louis nodded.

“Liam,” the wolf croaked out, turning to his Beta “Can you and Zayn keep an eye on Dex while we’re away?”

“Don’t worry about Dex,” Jay said before either of the Betas could respond, “I’ll look after him.”

Louis smiled. He loved his mum and how readily she agreed to babysit but she didn’t know about the supernatural threats.

“We’ll keep an eye on things, Alpha,” Liam answered, giving them a serious nod.

“Okay,” Harry stood up, signalling the end of the meeting, “It’s settled then.”

Before Louis could follow his mum and the Betas out of the room, Harry wrapped his hands around Louis’ waist.

“I’m glad you’re coming with me,” the wolf murmured, nuzzling against his neck.

“Me too,” Louis answered with a smile.

“And Lou?” 

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

The Alpha’s lips met his, drawing him into a long, deep kiss that conveyed gratitude better than words ever could. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It was impressive how quickly everything was planned and put together. By half past two that afternoon, Harry and Louis were ready to drive to London. 

Liam had booked them a room in a hotel that he swore they were going to love and Perrie had found the contact details of the largest local pack whose territory lay within London.

Zayn and Perrie had dug through the archives to try and locate the territory themselves but the Swifts seemed to be oddly secretive.

“We couldn’t find anything on them,” Zayn had informed Louis with a frown, “There’s no trail to follow. The only way you can get their territory’s location is by talking to local packs in London.”

“This is the biggest pack in London. They’ll know everyone in the area,” Perrie promised, handing Harry the details.

The plan was to stay in London overnight, visit the local pack tomorrow morning and ask them where the Swift pack’s territory was, as Harry had no memory of the exact location. Louis wasn’t looking forward to the prospect of meeting Taylor but it was a small price to pay if it meant recovering Harry’s memories.

Dex was the only member of the pack who was truly unhappy at the prospect of both Harry and Louis leaving.

He was wearing one of Louis’ old shirts from when he had been younger and, while it hung off the boy’s frame, the scent would help keep him from missing Louis too much. In a similar manner, Harry had gifted Dex one of his old blankets, which the child was clinging onto, refusing to let it out of his sight.

“Ma? Stay,” The toddler kept mumbling, nibbling Louis’ shoulder in reprimand whenever he tried to hand him over to one of the Betas.

“We’ll be back soon, love,” Louis promised the boy, pressing a kiss to his head, “And I’ve told Jesy to let you have ice cream tonight.”

“Chocolate!” Dex demanded.

“Chocolate ice cream,” Louis agreed, solemnly.

That seemed to calm Dex down enough that, when the time came for Louis to give him one last hug and hand him over to Jesy, the toddler went without much of a fuss. Still, Louis couldn’t help but notice the way Dex burrowed into his shirt, clutching Harry’s blanket tighter against him.

Harry reached for Louis and intertwined their fingers together, sensing how his mate felt about leaving Dex behind. Not taking him with them was painful but neither Louis nor Harry were comfortable with taking the toddler out of familiar territory and into the unknown.

Harry had also vetoed the Betas’ ideas of accompanying them for the same reason.

“We need you to stay here,” he’d told them, firmly, “To guard the territory and to keep Jay and Dex safe. There’s safety in numbers.”

“Stay within the borders of the territory,” Louis added, trying not to let his nerves at leaving the pack alone apparent, “And when Mum leaves work-”

“Aidan, Cara and I will be there to escort her back here,” Liam assured Louis, “We’ll make sure she’s safe, Alpha.”

Louis hoped the hug he gave the Beta conveyed how grateful he was.

“And let us know if _anything_ unusual happens,” Harry said, “A sound, a scent, anything.”

Neither Louis nor Harry noticed Liam glance over at Zayn or the barely perceivable shake of the head Zayn gave his mate in return. 

“You’ll give us a call when you get to the hotel, yeah?” Aidan asked.

Harry nodded, pulling each of his Betas into a hug to scent them.

“We’ll only be gone for a few days,” Louis smiled, clamping down on his own worries, “What could possibly go wrong in such a short time?”

“Exactly,” Harry nodded, pulling away from Nick just as Louis finished hugging Niall, “We’ll be back before you know it. If you see any signs of the rogue Alpha, head to the Manor with Dex and Jay.”

He turned to Liam with a serious look, “You know where I keep the wolfsbane.”

Liam nodded, face grave at the important task Harry had entrusted him with. Wolfsbane burnt werewolves if it came into direct contact with their fur or skin. Liam understood what Harry was saying loud and clear: _Use the wolfsbane if needed_.

His Alpha was worried about the rogue wolf and he was telling him to protect the pack by any means necessary.

“What about the…other threat?” Cara asked, softly.

Louis could sense Harry’s worry through the bond but the Alpha looked confident when he said, “Make sure all the doors and windows are locked at all times. Stick together. No serial killer is going to be able to attack an entire pack of werewolves at once.”

The Betas nodded. 

“Okay, I think that’s everything,” Louis said hugging Niall and stepped back, ruffling the blonde’s hair. 

The youngest wolf looked worried; a look he seldom wore.

“We’ll be back soon,” Louis repeated for the wolf’s sake, “Everything will be fine.”

Harry and Louis had just turned towards the front door when Zayn’s voice stopped them.

“Alphas,” he sounded hesitant and, when they turned to face him, he wore a worried look in his eyes that rivalled Niall’s, “There’s something about this whole situation that doesn’t add up. Just…look after each other, alright?”

“We will,” Harry assured the Beta, wrapping an arm around Louis’ waist.

Louis thought about asking Zayn why he was so worried but they were already running late so he decided it could wait until they got back.

Harry waited for the Betas to close the front door of the house before he started the car. The further away from the house they got, the more nervous Louis felt. He couldn’t explain why but, a quick glance at Harry told him that the wolf was feeling the same way; anxious.

“We need to do this,” Harry said out loud, “We need to figure out what caused me to lose my memories and see if I can regain them by visiting the Swift pack’s territory.”

“You’re right,” Louis agreed, reaching over to squeeze Harry’s knee, “And the Betas are more than capable of guarding the territory. After all, they were trained by the best.”

Harry grinned at that, pink dusting across his cheeks.

Neither of them voiced their worry out loud but they were both aware that a pack was stronger with an Alpha on the territory. Still, this had to be done and Louis couldn’t let Harry go to London alone. Not again.

Their car had just reached the border of the Styles territory when Louis let out a gasp, causing Harry to slam his foot down on the brakes.

“What? What’s wrong, Lou?” the wolf gave him a worried, wide-eyed stare, one arm reaching out to check for any physical damage.

“No, I’m fine,” Louis shook his head, a frown on his face, “I just…I felt this…”

He trailed off, hand moving to open the car door. Ignoring Harry’s questioning whine, Louis slowly focused on his magic. It felt as if needles were pricking his skin, leaving warm sparks in their wake. He had read in the Guide that his magic could speak to him in its own way; he just had to figure out what it was trying to say.

Slowly, Louis started to walk towards the invisible boundary that marked the borders of the Styles territory. The closer he got to it, the warmer his skin became, as if gentle flames were lapping at him, urging him on.

“Louis?” Harry’s voice was quiet, unsure.

The wolf had followed him and stood a little way behind him, watching him with confusion. Instead of answering the Alpha, Louis followed his instincts. The magic under his skin was leading him here so it seemed natural for him to reach out. 

To his astonishment, the moment his hand made contact with the air above the Styles pack territory border, the invisible boundary that the wolves ran everyday was no longer invisible. There was now a translucent wall-like structure that extended along the boundary line, a blue sheen emitting from it.

“Magic,” Louis muttered to himself, narrowing his eyes as he studied it.

The Guide had taught him basic spells but there had been no mention of anything like this. The blue sheen was a clear sign that whatever this was, it contained powerful magic. He focused on that power, using his abilities to trace it and saw there was a trail of lighter blue which led from the wall to the ground.

“It…seems to be coming from the earth,” Louis said, softly, following the trail of magic further. 

He curled his fingers, blinking in confusion when his fingers slipped through the translucent structure, the blue light giving no resistance. When he pulled back, a the same warmth from before tingled over his skin. The trail of magic glowed brighter and, when Louis glanced down, he could see the tendrils of blue between the ground and his own hands.

“Lou,” Harry’s voice was a whisper.

When Louis tore his gaze away from his hands and glanced up at the wolf, Harry was staring back at him with a look of awe. 

“It’s connected to you. _You_ did this.”

“You can see it?” Louis asked, shocked.

Harry nodded.

“A part of the magic that’s created that…uh..thing, seems to be drawn from the land,” he explained, “An Alpha’s power is drawn from the territory as well. That might be why I can see it.”

Louis focused more closely on the wall, gasping as he saw the silver etching at its centre. It depicted a circular shape that had narrow triangles around the perimeters. Inside the circle was a slender crescent. He pointed to it, his finger shaking slightly.

“What’s that?” 

Harry frowned, leaning forward to take a closer look

“The union of the sun and moon,” Harry murmured after a moment, eyes widening, “That’s what that symbol is. My mum used to tell me this old werewolf legend about where it originated from. The sun represents strength and the moon represents heart. The legend said that when the two united, it symbolised protection and guardianship. Centuries ago, as a way to protect themselves from hunters, it was believed that werewolves carried shields which had the symbol etched onto it.”

“A shield of protection,” Louis murmured, the idea catching ahold of his mind.

His fingers tingled, as if in agreement.

“Did you try out a new spell and put this up by accident?”

“No,” Louis shook his head, slowly, “I…I honestly have no idea when or how I did this.”

“How long has it been here?” Harry questioned, eyes curiously taking in the shield.

Louis shook his head again, utterly baffled.

“I don’t know,” he whispered, moving away from the translucent wall, “Either way, it’s definitely my magic so it’s not going to hurt the pack. That’s all we need to know for now.”

He couldn’t explain it but he was certain the pack would face no harm from the shield. Harry stared at the wall again before his gaze shifted back to Louis. 

“We can figure this out when we get back,” Louis assured him, linking their hands together.

Harry nodded, turning back towards the car. For now, the priority was getting to London and trying to recover his lost memories. 

Everything else could wait. It had to. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Louis lay on the previously rose-petal covered bed of, what the hotel employees had called, the ‘honeymoon suite’. It had taken them two hours to rid the room of all the flower arrangements and petals it had been bathed in. Even now, with the windows open as far as they were able, the poignant scent of roses remained in the air.

“Liam is officially banned from arranging any of our future accomodation,” Harry growled, the effect of his anger being ruined by yet another sneeze.

“He was just trying to make it romantic,” Louis reasoned, “Pity he forgot about your allergy to roses.”

“I’m not allergic,” Harry said and Louis bit back his smile at seeing the pout that graced the wolf’s face, “Werewolves don’t have allergies.”

His sneeze belayed his words. Harry sniffed, wiping at his watering eyes with the sleeves of his shirt.

“You’re apparently the exception to that rule, love,” Louis chuckled, reaching out to run a hand through the petulant wolf’s hair, “Did you call the pack once we got here?”

“Yeah,” Harry nodded, stifling a yawn, “Did it while you were showering. Dex was already asleep and Jay got home safe. Cara said everyone’s doing fine, nothing suspicious to report.”

“Good,” Louis answered, slightly relieved.

Harry’s response was yet another sneeze.

“We could check into a different room?” Louis glanced at the wolf, who was rubbing his nose in a frustrated manner, “Otherwise you’re not going to get any sleep tonight.”

“I already tried. They said all the other rooms were taken,” Harry answered.

Louis sighed in defeat. 

“Well, things can only get better,” he muttered to himself.

There was silence for a few minutes as Louis tried to fall asleep and Harry fiddled with his phone. 

“Lou?” Harry whispered suddenly.

“Mm?”

“Google says people can die from being allergic to roses.”

Louis tried not to roll his eyes.

“Google isn’t exactly a licensed doctor, Harry,” he pointed out but, at Harry’s wide-eyed look, added, “Don’t worry, alright? Your allergy isn’t _that_ severe.”

“I guess,” Harry mumbled, unconvinced.

It was a minute before Harry spoke again.

“But _if_ I die tonight, I want you to make Liam run a hundred laps around our territory as punishment.”

“Seems a bit harsh.”

“I would be _dead_ , Lou!” Harry exclaimed, sounding quite offended that Louis didn’t agree with his plan of retribution, “He would, accidentally and indirectly, be responsible for my death!”

“You’re not going to die tonight, Hazza,” Louis reassured the wolf again.

Harry sniffed and Louis could practically hear the frown in his voice when he said, “It _could_ happen. Google says-”

Louis let out a groan and sat up.

“That’s it. We’re finding another place to sleep.”

Harry opened his mouth to protest the idea but was interrupted by another sneeze. 

It probably wasn’t what Liam had envisioned when he had booked the honeymoon suite for his Alphas but sleeping in a bathtub, cushioned by blankets, was surprisingly comfortable. And, most importantly, there were no more fucking flowers!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Louis checked his reflection in the car mirror. Again.

“Relax babe,” Harry grinned at him, looking surprisingly chipper for someone who had spent half the night sneezing and the other half, squeezed into a cramped bath tub, “You look amazing, as always.”

“Do we have an actual plan for today?” Louis asked, not understanding why Harry was so relaxed, “You know, other than walking voluntarily into another pack’s territory and demanding that they give us answers?”

“Nope. That’s pretty much the plan,” Harry answered with a grin.

Perrie had briefed them with the name and details of the main pack whose territory covered London. A pack that, Harry had informed him this morning, was not exactly an ally of the Styles pack.

“Mum hated them,” Harry had told Louis as they got in the car, “We’ve never been on good terms with them and the Alpha’s a brute.”

“Seriously, Hazza,” Louis poked the wolf on the arm now, “What’s the plan? Do we have anything to offer them in exchange for information?”

“Nothing but the fact that we’re willing to grace them with our presence,” Harry answered.

Brilliant.

Louis bit his lip, staring down at his lap. His fingers twitched with nervous tension.

“Maybe you shouldn’t introduce me as your co-Alpha,” he said, softly, “Just say I’m a member of the pack. A human member who-”

“Lou.”

Harry’s tone contained disappointment and disapproval. Louis sighed, turning to face the window.

“I’m just saying,” he muttered, squeezing his eyes shut when the car slowed to a stop.

His eyes flicked open when he felt Harry’s fingers on his cheek, turning his head until he was looking at the wolf.

“What are you really worried about?” Harry’s eyes never left his, concern and confusion swirling in their depths.

“I just…it’s different here, innit? Back home, everyone accepts me as an Alpha even though I’m human. Because of _this_ ,” Louis pointed to the necklace he wore which had the Styles crest on it, “You gave me this and it made me an Alpha. How are you planning on explaining that to this new pack who probably have no human pack members? Especially if the Alpha’s as bad as you described. We’re representing the Styles pack, we’re supposed to seem strong and…me being here is…”

“You see yourself as a weak link?” Harry asked, a frown marring his features.

Louis shrugged, unable to meet the wolf’s eye.

“I just want them to take us seriously. I want them to give us answers. There might be a higher chance of that if they just see me as a human pack member rather than an…unorthodox Alpha,” Louis mumbled, “They might…respect you more that way.”

“Louis,” Harry’s voice was laced with anguish, “Please tell me you don’t really believe that!”

Louis felt a jolt run through him as Harry’s hand cupped the nape of his neck, the wolf projecting a memory at him.

__

_Harry was leaning against a tree trunk, watching Louis, Niall and Jesy practice football. Even against the wolves, Louis was quick, his feet manoeuvring the ball with just the right amount of force._

_Harry was so absorbed in watching the gameplay and listening to the playful banter being exchanged that it took him a moment longer than usual to sense the intruder._

_He turned around with a growl, eyes scanning the neighbouring trees. Behind him, Louis and the Betas had stopped playing, eyes fastened on him._

_Harry glanced over at them, giving them a silent order. Jesy and Niall lifted their heads and sniffed the air, nodding at him when they caught the scent._

_“Stay behind us, Lou,” Harry murmured to the human before stepping away from the group._

_He walked a few feet ahead, approaching the border of the Styles pack’s territory._

_“Show yourself!”_

_The demand was met with silence but, after a moment, a  
man slipped out from behind a thicket of trees. He appeared to be in his late forties, ribbons of grey winding ungracefully through his once dark hair. His clothes were rumpled and he was long overdue for a shave. _

_The man looked angry, his eyes flashing in a way that made it obvious he was an Alpha werewolf._

_“Cowell,” Harry growled, glaring back at the older man._

_“Styles,” Cowell stated before smirking, “Not quite big enough to fit that name yet, are you? You’re still a child, living in denial, acting like you could protect your mother’s territory when you haven’t got the first clue of what it means to be an Alpha.”_

_“I’m eighteen,” Harry answered, his jaw tightening, “I know enough and the Styles pack territory is, frankly, none of your business.”_

_“Well, I’ve made it my business,” Cowell said, stepping closer, his toe grazing over the boundary line that marked the start of the Styles territory, “You’re not fit to lead this pack, kid. It’s only a matter of time before your pack members decide to leave you. I’m offering you a way out; a chance to save your dignity. If you surrender your pack to me and leave this territory, I promise not a single drop of blood shall be spilt.”_

_“You’re a bit of an arsehole, mate,” a voice said before Harry could respond._

_Cowell’s eyes flicked past Harry, landing on the brunette boy who looked no older than thirteen. His right foot was balanced on a football and he was looking at Cowell with a clear air of dislike._

_“I was watching you practice,” Cowell said, giving Louis a conceited smirk, “My two year old son has better aim.”_

_Instinctively, Harry growled while Niall and Jesy stepped closer to Louis, their postures protective. Cowell’s eyes widened with renewed understanding._

_“Ah! You must be the Styles pack’s human pet. I’ve heard about you,” Cowell sneered, turning back to face Harry, “Have you trained him to do any tricks? Do you give him treats when he remembers them?”_

_Harry snarled at the older wolf, his claws snapping out. He would have lunged at Cowell if Jesy hadn’t reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him back._

_“That’s what he wants you to do,” she hissed in his ear, “If you attack him outside of our pack’s territory, he can officially notify the Council. He’ll act as if it were an unprovoked attack. You could lose everything, Alpha! Your position, the territory, everything!”_

_Harry growled again but he noted that Jesy was right. Cowell was trying to provoke him into attacking, toeing along the line of the Styles pack territory but never stepping over it._

_“We can make a new deal,” Cowell said, eyes calculating, “Surrender your pack to me or you may find that your precious human gets a little…injured.”_

_“Are you fucking threatening us?” Jesy snapped at the wolf._

_Cowell shrugged, a smug smile on his lips._

_“I’m just outlining all the possible scenarios. Of course, if you surrender the pack, none of those will become a reality. In fact-”_

_Cowell’s words were cut off by his howl of pain. Harry watched in confusion as the man fell to his knees, cradling his groin between his hands._

_Louis’ voice floated over to him, the boy smiling at Cowell in a sarcastically sweet manner, “Huh. Guess my aim’s improving!”_

_“Alpha,” Jesy whispered to Harry, nodding towards where Cowell was kneeling._

_The wolf’s knee was now over the boundary line, officially making him a trespasser. Harry wasted no time in stepping forward and hauling the man up, snapping his teeth against his neck in warning._

_“If I see you on my territory again, you might find yourself a little…injured,” he hissed in the older wolf’s ear, “Threaten my pack members again and you’ll find out exactly why our pack’s one of the strongest in Europe. Understood?”_

_Cowell let out a whine, eyes widening in shock and embarrassment at the sound. Harry pushed him away and watched as the wolf scurried off into the forest, heading back to his own territory. He wouldn’t be trying to take over the Styles pack territory anytime soon._

_“So,” Louis cleared his throat, grinning at the wolves, “Have we got time for another match?”  
_

Louis frowned as the memory stopped, giving Harry a confused look.

“What does that have to do with-?”

“You still can’t see it, can you?” Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair, “That’s the thing about you, Lou. You’re this…enigma of passion and courage and loyalty and wit and yet, you can’t see all those brilliant things in yourself!”

“All I did was stand up to a bully-”

“You _defended_ me,” Harry corrected, “You defended the pack. You took control of the situation and turned it in our favour. You’ve done that countless numbers of times and being human has never held you back.”

Louis frowned, not entirely understanding where Harry was going with all this.

“That necklace,” Harry pointed at the Styles pack talisman that Louis wore, “Is just a symbol; a representation of your duty. All it shows is that that the pack and I accept you as Alpha, that you have the right to be our leader. Everything else comes from _you_ , Lou. You’re not just an Alpha because I gave you that. You’re an Alpha because that’s who you were born to be. It’s a part of who you are, just like your eyes and your hair and your magic. It’s who you are.”

Harry squeezed Louis’ wrist, making sure he had his full attention.

“You’re an Alpha because you’re a leader, because you care for others, because you know when to back down and when to keep pushing. Those aren’t qualities that can be taught. They’re instinctual.”

“But I’m human,” Louis croaked out.

“And you’ve literally made fully-grown werewolves fall to their knees,” Harry told him with a grin, “When we meet the Alpha of this territory, he’s going to watch us, study us. And he’s going to know we have a strong pack. Not because of me but because of you.”

Louis gave Harry an incredulous look.

“It’s true. See, I’m too predictable,” Harry answered, “I react the same way any other Alpha werewolf would react. If I get angry, the claws come out. But you’re not easy to figure out. Hell, I’ve known you most of my life and I still can’t always tell what you’re going to do next. Your humanity isn’t a weakness, Lou. It’s a weapon. It’s your power and it’s what keeps our pack strong.”

Louis stared at Harry.

“You…you think this Alpha we’re meeting will be scared of me?”

“Oh, I know he will,” Harry smirked, “Did I forget to mention? The largest part of London lies within the Cowell pack territory.”

Louis’ mouth fell open.

“You’re kidding me!”

“Nope,” Harry’s smirk only grew wider as he started to drive again, “Alpha Cowell will remember you. We’re going to use that to our advantage.”

“Well, fuck,” Louis murmured to himself, half wishing he had brought a football with him as Harry manoeuvred the car onto Cowell pack territory.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Alpha Cowell invited them into his house, his eyes watching Louis with wariness. 

Louis was almost tempted to reassure him that he wasn’t going to hurt him but then, he remembered the way Cowell had threatened Harry at their last encounter and decided he deserved to live in fear. For a while, at least.

“Alphas,” Cowell gestured to the large, fluorescent green sofa that took up half the living room, “Please, have a seat.”

Louis and Harry glanced around the pack house with obvious distaste. While the Montgomery pack boasted a similar level of opulence, Alpha Montgomery was stylish about it. The Cowell pack’s place looked as if it housed the most expensive furniture pieces in the world but all of it was mismatched, chosen for price rather than style.

“We would but we’re in a bit of a hurry,” Harry said, shifting closer to Louis and away from the sofa.

Cowell looked flustered, as if he hadn’t expected such a rejection of his hospitality. He opened his mouth to say something before his eyes met Louis’. Louis raised his brow. He could see the bonds between Cowell and the rest of his pack; thin lines which were tainted with black and grey. None of them glowed, which signified that the pack was at odds with their Alpha. Clearly, the Cowell pack had a lot more internal conflict than Cowell was willing to reveal.

“What a strong pack you’ve got,” Louis said, sarcasm underlying his words.

Cowell gulped, looking both confused and fearful of Louis’ intuition.

“Y..yes. We are,” he answered, dropping his gaze from Louis’ and changing tact.

“What brings you to the Cowell territory?”

“We need some information,” Harry answered, “About where to find the Swift pack.”

Cowell’s head shot up and his lips curled in disgust.

“I apologise Alphas,” he said, “But I can’t help you with that. There are certain packs whom tradition insists we don’t speak about; packs that are stricken from the record. The Swifts are one of them.”

“What?” Louis turned to Harry, whose eyes had widened, “What’s he talking about?”

“Your pack still follow the old ways then,” Harry said to Cowell.

“Tradition is important to us,” Cowell answered, his lips tightening, “Unlike the Swift and Aoki packs. We do not associate with those that refuse to accept their destinies.”

Harry’s eyes hardened.

“Thanks for your help,” Harry growled, turning on his heel and heading out the door.

“Or lack of it,” Louis muttered under his breath, following suit.

Harry didn’t speak until they were in the car with the Cowell pack house fast disappearing in the rear-view mirror. 

“The old ways,” Harry said, bitterly, “State that once a wolf has found their mate, if their mate dies, that wolf cannot seek love again.”

Louis’ mouth fell open.

“Like, they can’t mate with someone else _ever_? What if it happens years after their first mate passes away?”

“Years, decades, it doesn’t make a difference,” Harry said, “Some old wolf packs are close-minded enough to still follow that rule and they refuse to associate with packs that have broken it. That’s what Cowell meant when he said the Swifts were stricken from the record.”

“So he won’t talk about them,” Louis summed up.

“Probably for the best. He wouldn’t have any relevant information,” Harry explained, “Once a pack is stricken from the record, no one keeps track of them. Not a single member of the Cowell pack would know anything about the Swifts.”

Louis sighed.

“So, what now? We’ve reached a dead end.”

“Not necessarily,” Harry said, “Could you call Perrie? Ask her to give us the address of the Aoki pack house.”

“The Aoki pack?” Louis stared at the wolf, “Why are we going there?”

“Cowell mentioned that his pack don’t associate with them or the Swifts. I could be wrong but the way he said it made me think there was some kind of connection between the Aokis and the Swifts. They could tell us where the Swift pack’s territory is.”

“Might as well try,” Louis agreed.

He took out his phone and dialled Perrie’s number.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Louis’ first impression of Alpha Aoki was that she was a charming, distinguished and capable werewolf who had many years of experience on her side. She invited them in with a smile while her eyes assessed them carefully. Harry had told Louis on the drive over that their packs had never really mingled with the Aokis.

“Their territory’s always been far away from ours,” Harry had explained, “So we’ve never really had the opportunity to get to know each other.”

What this meant was that the Aoki pack were neither enemies nor allies. They were neutral, which meant they were under no obligation to help.

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Alpha Tomlinson and Alpha Styles,” Alpha Aoki said as they sat down, “Would you care for some tea?”

“No thank you,” Louis answered politely, watching as the Alpha brewed herself a cup.

“We won’t take up too much of your time but we were hoping you could assist us with something,” Harry began.

Alpha Aoki frowned.

“My pack does not get involved in territory disputes or wars between-”

“No! It’s nothing like that!” Harry hastened to add, “We were just hoping you could give us a bit more information about a neighbouring pack? The…uh…the Swift pack.”

Alpha Aoki turned to stare at them.

“Why would you be enquiring about them?” She asked, her eyes studying them shrewdly.

Harry looked as if he didn’t want to say anything further but Louis could sense that Alpha Aoki’s willingness to help depended on honesty. He had a feeling that she wouldn’t hesitate to kick them out if she thought they were deceiving her.

“We wanted to ask them a few questions,” Louis replied, “But their territory doesn’t seem to be on any map.”

Alpha Aoki nodded at him to proceed. Louis sighed. She wasn’t going to give them any information without getting the full story.

“We wanted to ask them about this,” he confided, pulling out the ring that he had slipped into his pocket that morning.

Before Alpha Aoki could respond, a gasp echoed across the room. The Alpha turned towards the sound, pity on her face as she noticed the pale-faced woman who was standing by the living room entrance.

“Naya,” she told the Beta werewolf, her tone suddenly commanding, “Go for a run please. You don’t need to be here for this.”

“But Mama-”

“That’s an order, Naya,” Alpha Aoki stated before adding, “It’s for your own good, dear.”

Louis and Harry watched quietly as the Beta slipped out of the room, her eyes downcast.

“We didn’t mean to offend anyone,” Louis said, pocketing the ring.

Alpha Aoki gave him a sad smile.

“Naya isn’t offended. No, she’s…she’s been through a lot in her 40 years of life.”

“Does she…have some kind of history with the Swift pack?” Harry asked quietly.

“You could say that,” Alpha Aoki answered, seating herself on the sofa opposite where Harry and Louis sat, “That ring brings back memories for her and not all of them are good.”

“So the ring…it belonged to a member of the Swift pack, right?” Louis clarified.

“It belonged to the Swift pack Alpha,” Alpha Aoki said.

“Bruce,” she said at the same time that Harry whispered, “Taylor”.

Alpha Aoki and Harry frowned at each other.

“That ring is the Swift pack talisman,” Alpha Aoki informed them, “It never leaves the hand of the Alpha.”

“So Taylor’s an Alpha?” Louis asked, turning to Harry, who looked just as confused.

“Who’s Taylor?” Alpha Aoki sounded even more confused.

“This ring belongs to her,” Harry frowned, “Or…it did belong to her. If it’s the pack talisman then…”

He trailed off.

“The talisman remains with an Alpha until they die,” Louis quoted what he remembered Liam telling him.

Harry nodded shakily, reaching out for Louis’ hand. 

“You think she…” Louis paused, unsure how to make the words sound less jarring.

“She’s dead,” Harry whispered, “She has to be. Pack talismans have magical properties. They always try to find their way back to their rightful owners unless the talisman’s allegiance has changed.”

“And the allegiance only changes when their previous owner, the last Alpha of the pack, dies,” Louis murmured, “So she…passed the leadership of her pack to Dex?”

“I guess so,” Harry answered, looking a little lost, “The talisman won’t acknowledge him as an Alpha until he turns 16 though. I…it doesn’t make sense. If Dex was given the role of future Swift pack Alpha, someone from the pack should have come looking for him by now.”

“No one from the pack can,” Alpha Aoki interrupted, drawing their attention to her, “And no one will. The Swift pack hasn’t existed for eleven years.”

A shocked silence followed her words.

“What?” Louis managed to ask.

Harry looked too startled to speak. 

“The Swift pack,” Alpha Aoki repeated slowly, as if she were speaking to children, “They all died in a house fire eleven years ago. Not a single pack member survived.”

“That’s not true,” Harry whispered, “It can’t be true! Taylor…the ring is hers. I’ve _seen_ her wearing it.”

“I have no idea who Taylor is,” Alpha Aoki said, “But the last living Alpha of the Swift pack was Bruce. He died in the fire, along with his two children and the rest of his pack members. Their territory was taken over by the Bhasker pack ten or so years ago and the remains of their old pack house was demolished.”

Louis and Harry stared at each other, both their faces pale and confused.

“But…the ring,” Louis whispered.

“The last time I saw that ring was before the fire. It was on Bruce’s finger,” Alpha Aoki stated.

“That…can’t be,” Louis turned to Harry, “Can it?”

Harry ran a hand through his hair, a frown marring his features.

“We’re missing something, Lou. We’re missing a piece of the puzzle.”

“Do you know anything else about the Swift pack? How many members they had? The names of the children?” Louis tried, hoping that if they had more information, things would start making sense.

Alpha Aoki gave them a sad look.

“The Swifts were always a secretive bunch. They kept to themselves mostly. The only member of our pack that was ever allowed in their pack house was my daughter, Naya.”

Alpha Aoki took a sip of her tea before continuing.

“Bruce Swift’s mate, the mother of his two daughters, died two years after the youngest was born. That’s when the Swift pack isolated themselves, pulling away from their neighbours and becoming secretive. Then, a few years after that, Bruce met my Naya.”

Alpha Aoki smiled, recalling memories from happier times.

“They loved each other. Anyone could see that. Naya treated Bruce’s children as if they were her own and there was even talk of a wedding in the spring. But then, the fire happened. He died, as did his entire pack, and Naya…well. She hasn’t been the same since.”

Alpha Aoki sighed.

“She spent months searching through the remains of the Swift pack’s house, muttering something about how they hadn’t found them all. It made no sense. The police confirmed that everyone had died in the fire and the Swift pack territory remained unclaimed for a year, which meant none of their members had survived the tragedy. After that, as tradition allows, the Bhasker pack expanded and took over the area. Naya took that badly; made a scene about how it belonged to the Swifts and that they would be back. We tried to help her cope with the grief but she pulled away from us. I don’t think I’ve seen her smile since the night of that fire.”

Alpha Aoki’s hands shook as she placed down her tea cup.

“The one thing I’m certain of however is that the ring you have belonged to Bruce,” Alpha Aoki nodded at Louis, “It would have been passed onto his oldest child if she had survived the fire. I’m afraid that’s all the information I have about them. As I said, Naya knew them better than me. She was always over at their house with Bruce but, obviously, she’s not in a position to speak sensibly about any of that right now. I’m not sure she ever will be. I’m sorry.”

“No, that’s quite alright,” Harry said, “You’ve been very helpful. Do you, maybe, have any photos of the Swift pack?”

“I’m afraid I don’t. The Swifts were very private about their lives and any photos they might have kept in their house was destroyed in the fire.”

Harry nodded, turning to Louis. He didn’t need to speak for Louis to understand what he was thinking. Instead of becoming clearer, things were only getting more puzzling.

* * *

“That was…unexpected,” Louis muttered as they drove towards where the Aoki pack was situated.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Harry frowned, “You remember her, I remember that ring on her finger and her saying she was a member of the Swift pack but…”

“She can’t have been since that pack died over a decade ago,” Louis summed up the problem.

“Lou,” Harry sighed, glancing over at him, “Why do I feel like we’re missing something obvious?”

Before Louis could reply, he was distracted by a figure stepping onto the road in front of them.

“Harry!” Louis shouted, pointing at the figure.

Harry slammed on the brakes, managing to bring the car to a stop just before it could hit the long-haired man who was standing there.

“What the fuck are you doing?!” Harry growled, opening the car door and stepping out.

“Sorry!” The man held up his hands and stepped back, “I wasn’t sure how else to stop you before you crossed over our territory line.”

“ _Your_ territory?” Louis asked, getting out of the car to face the man, “You’re a member of the Aoki pack then?”

“Call me Steve,” the wolf said with a friendly grin, “My sister said she wanted to speak to you. Our Mum won’t really let her talk to…um…anyone outside of our pack.”

“She thinks I’m crazy with grief,” a raspy voice said and Louis turned to see Naya standing by the car.

“I’ll keep lookout,” Steve told his sister, heading back down the road in the direction of the Aoki pack house, “We don’t want any of the pack to see you guys talking and report it back to Mum.”

Naya waited until Steve was out of earshot before speaking.

“I didn’t mean to listen in on your conversation with my mum but…you’re looking into the Swift pack fire?” She asked.

“Well, not really looking into-” Harry began but Naya interrupted.

“Could I…” she reached out a hesitant hand, “Could I see it?”

It took Louis a second to figure out she meant the ring.

“Lou,” Harry warned him softly but, after hearing Alpha Aoki’s version of events, Louis couldn’t help but feel sorry for Naya.

“Here,” he handed the small ornament over.

Naya ran her fingers over it, reverently. 

“It’s real,” she whispered, more to herself than anyone around her, “I had hoped…but no. It’s real. She’s not the Alpha anymore.”

“She?” Harry asked, “Are you talking about Taylor?”

“The Alpha’s children- their bodies were never recovered from the house. All three of them. I tried to tell my mother but she thought I’d lost my mind.”

“Wait, what do you mean by three?” Louis asked, “Didn’t Bruce only have two children?”

Naya shook her head, her eyes darting around the area as if she were afraid someone would overhear.

“Sometimes it’s better to be forgotten,” she whispered, “Sometimes, it’s safer to be erased. Holding onto the past can be dangerous. I’ve been living that way for a long time because I was scared.”

“Scared of who?” Louis asked, softly.

Naya grabbed Louis’ hand, pushing the ring into it. Her eyes held his and the emotion he saw in them had him aching to comfort her. There was fear there, and anger. 

“I used to feel sorry for him,” Naya whispered, her hands tightening around Louis’, “Bruce always called him the Motley, always insisted that he stay at the back, away from Taylor and Julia. We fought about it once and Bruce warned me…he told me the Motley was dangerous but he was just a boy! The youngest of the three. I…I never thought he’d be capable of it but if Taylor’s dead…”

Naya shook her head, her eyes filling with tears.

“She was good you know,” she murmured, “Once. And I like to think he was once good too.”

“Who?” Harry asked but Naya was already moving away, running back towards her pack house.

“Right,” Harry muttered, “So she’s crazy.”

“Or maybe,” Louis said, softly, “Maybe she’s just scared.”

He held out his hand, the one she had placed the ring in. Beside the ring was a scrunched up piece of paper.

“Is it a note?” Harry asked, leaning over his shoulder.

“No,” Louis whispered as he opened it up, “It’s a photo. Of the Swift pack.”

“What-?”

Harry’s words were cut off by the sound of Louis’ mobile phone ringing.

Louis shoved the ring and photo into his pocket before answering it.

“Hello?”

“Alpha!” Nick’s panicked voice came through, crackling with static.

“Nick! Hang on, I can’t hear you too well,” Louis told him.

“It’s because of the area we’re in,” Harry informed him, “Tell him we’ll call him back in ten minutes when the phone’s got a better signal.”

“Alpha, something’s-” the rest of Nick’s words were replaced by static.

“What?” Louis tried to hear through the growing crackles, “I can’t hear you. What did you say?”

“You both need to get back,” Nick managed to growl out over the disturbance, “Now!”

The last thing Louis and Harry heard before the phone cut off was Liam’s distraught howl. 

Louis felt his blood turn to ice and, when he looked up at Harry, he knew the Alpha had come to the same conclusion. 

“Was that-?” Louis whispered.

“Yeah,” Harry breathed, rushing to start the car, “We need to get back!”

Only one thing could cause the normally calm and rational Liam to react like that; something had happened to Zayn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ll throw in a quick reminder that this story does have a happy ending and that everything works out but, much like life, things might get a little worse before they get better…(guesses on what might lie ahead are always welcome!). It might seem impossible but I promise it will all tie together in the end and that everything will be answered.
> 
> As most of you know, this fic doesn’t have a regular update schedule anymore but I’ll try to have the next chapter up as soon as I possibly can. Until then, love to you all (and please don’t hate me too much for the cliffhanger!) <3 xx


	17. XVII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the unbelievable amounts of kudos, comments and support this fic has been getting! Loads of love to you all! I hope you enjoy this chapter and apologies for any mistakes I didn't pick up on during the editing phase <3 xx

“Where is everyone?” Harry growled, trying to trace the pack by their scent the moment they reached the Manor’s driveway.

Louis frowned. Nick’s phone call had left them on edge but the silence of the pack house accentuated that feeling. Louis felt an unsettling churning in his stomach that told him something was seriously wrong.

He stepped out of the car and froze when Harry growled.

“Lou,” Harry said, his eyes flashing, “I can smell something odd. Stay here.”

“No fucking way!” Louis stated, hurrying to keep up with Harry, “The pack needs-”

He abruptly cut off his words when he crossed the threshold and saw the state of the front room. The wooden coffee table was broken, one of the sofas had been upturned and the curtains lay crumpled on the floor. Still, all of that was nothing compared to the hole in the window, which had left glass shards scattered arounds the room.

“What the hell happened?” Harry croaked out, eyes wide and taking in the damage.

“I’m calling Nick,” Louis stated, pulling out his phone.

Except, Nick’s phone went directly to voicemail.

“He’s not picking up,” Louis frowned.

“I’ll try Perrie,” Harry said, taking his own phone out.

While Harry dialled Perrie’s number, Louis wandered through the house.

He noticed that the Manor’s library door was wide open. Hardly anyone other than Zayn and Perrie ever entered this room. 

The library had always been a relatively dark place, with heavy drapes blocking out the sun. The dying flames of the old-fashioned fireplace flickered as Louis stepped into the room, his eyes taking in the surroundings.

“Perrie’s not picking up either,” Harry growled, “Where the fuck are they?”

“Harry,” he called out, his voice coming out a bit choked.

The Alpha was by his side in seconds, staring with equal horror at the scene that greeted them. Books and papers were lying on the ground, clearly having been pulled out of the neatly organised shelves. 

“Someone’s been here,” Harry murmured, scenting the air, “They were looking for something.” 

“What’s weird is that these shelves-” he pointed to the bookshelves in the back of the room, “Are still categorised alphabetically. So either they found whatever it was that they were looking for or they were interrupted before they could find it.”

As Harry examined the room, Louis took a deep breath, drawing on his remaining energy to allow his Numen powers to flow through him. It was something he had been practicing on his own; how to focus in order to see the pack bonds over longer distances. 

He focused on Harry first, as he was always the easiest starting point, following each of the bonds that extended from him to each pack member. Zayn’s strand, he noticed at once, was a trace duller than usual, highlighting the fact that he wasn’t completely healthy.

“Zayn’s been injured,” Louis said, eyes tracing the bond, “He’s alive but his bond…it’s weaker than normal.”

The bond between Harry and Jesy was vibrant with colour, as was the one between him and Niall. As Louis focused on the bond between Harry and Perrie, he saw a problem.

“Perrie’s bond is weaker too,” he whispered, letting himself zone in on the bond and following its path as far as he could, “I…it looks like they’re at the hospital.”

He stopped suddenly, feeling a bone-deep tiredness seep through him. He hadn’t felt this tired since him and Harry had acknowledged their bond. He must have stumbled a bit because Harry reached for him, slipping an arm around his waist to steady him.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Louis shook his head, “I think I just tried to use too much of my powers at once. It’s more difficult to trace the bonds over longer distances.”

“Don’t use your powers for a bit then,” Harry told him, “We’ll go and see the pack in person to make sure everyone else is alright. You can take energy from me, right? From our bond?”

Louis nodded, borrowing a bit of energy from the Alpha deux bond so he could stand on his own again.

“You said they were at the hospital?” Harry frowned, as they walked out of the library, “Werewolves don’t need hospitals. We self-heal unless-”

Harry cut himself off, eyes widening with revelation.

“Unless we get injured in an unnatural way,” he finished in a hoarse whisper.

“Unnatural?” Louis frowned, “In what way?”

Harry didn’t seem to be entirely certain himself.

“We need to get to the hospital, check in on Zayn and Perrie-”

“Hazza.” Louis stopped suddenly, shakily lifting a finger to point at the Manor’s front doorway.

There, on the inside surface of the door, was a single set of claw marks. They were cut deep into the wood, sending a clear message; marking a victory.

“The rogue Alpha,” Louis whispered.

Harry stepped closer to look, catching a whiff of something unfamiliar.

“The rogue had something on their claws,” he murmured, staring at the marks, “Something poisonous.”

He moved to touch it before hesitating, stepping away from the odd smelling substance.

“Do you think that’s why Perrie and Zayn had to go to the hospital?” Louis asked.

“Maybe,” Harry answered, “Can you get Alpha Corden on the phone? I want him to come and take a look at this. If we can identify the substance, there might be some kind of antidote that can help them heal faster. ”

Louis nodded, taking out his phone. He glanced at the claw marks again, a sense of foreboding running through his body.

“What did the rogue want?” He asked, quietly, “Why would they attack the pack in the first place?”

Harry took a deep breath, his jaw tightening.

When Louis turned to look at him, the wolf’s eyes were liquid gold, anger and determination shining in them.

“They wanted our attention,” Harry growled, “Now, they’ve got it.”

 

* * *

_  
Zayn had said something about wanting to get some research done and wandered off into the library, leaving the rest of the pack to keep Dex entertained. They had decided to spend the day at the Manor with the toddler after having dropped Jay off at work._

_“Was that the Alpha?” Nick asked as Perrie got off the phone._

_She nodded in response._

_“He wanted the address of the Aoki pack. Apparently, the Cowells were useless.”_

_Aidan scoffed._

_“No surprises there. Their Alpha’s a piece of-”_

_He was was cut off by a growl that was both unfamiliar and unwelcome._

_The Betas stood up as one, bodies tense and alert._

_“I didn’t imagine that, did I?” Aidan whispered after a moment of silence._

_“No,” Perrie shook her head, eyes narrowed, “It sounded like-”_

_The sound came again, louder._

_“The rogue Alpha,” Liam hissed, stepping forward with flashing eyes, “It’s getting closer. I’m going to get the wolfsbane!”_

_“Wait!” Nick grabbed Liam’s arm, stopping him before he could head for the door, “Can’t you smell that? The scent…there’s something off about it. I can’t trace where it’s coming from. It’s almost like-”_

_“It’s coming from 4 different directions,” Cara stated, her eyes wide, “How could an Alpha be in four places at once?”_

_“Unless there are four Alphas,” Aidan gulped, “A..a pack of rogue Alphas.”_

_“Dada!” Dex, who had been quiet in Jesy’s arms, suddenly cried out, “Dada! Dada!”_

_“He’ll be back soon,” Jesy tried to comfort the toddler, whose eyes were rapidly filling up with tears, “Liam! What do we do?”_

_Liam looked lost, unsure of how to proceed._

_“I…uh…” he shook his head, staring fearfully at the window, “Uh…”_

_“Liam! You’re the second-in-command! What do you want us to do?” Nick asked, urgently._

_“Just…” Liam trailed off, eyes darting between the window and the door._

_“You need to make a fucking decision!” Aidan growled._

_“We’ll…” Liam swallowed, “Um…hide?”_

_“Until four rogue Alphas burst through the door and massacre us?!” Cara asked._

_Dex’s cries went up a notch._

_“Right, no...that won’t work,” Liam muttered, “We’ll…uh…”_

_“Get the wolfsbane,” Zayn’s voice caught everyone’s attention and they turned to look at the wolf as he emerged from the Manor’s library, “Li, you need to get the wolfsbane. We can’t hold off a rogue Alpha without it.”_

_“But the scent,” Liam gestured to the window, “It’s coming from four different directions. It’s like we’re surrounded!”_

_Zayn shook his head._

_“I don’t have time to explain right now but if my hunch is right, there’s only one rogue,” he answered._

_“The smell-”_

_“Just trust me, Liam,” Zayn said, firmly, “You need to get the wolfsbane from the basement and…”_

_He walked towards Liam, wrapping an arm around the wolf’s neck and pulling him closer so he could whisper something in his ear._

_Liam’s eyes widened._

_“Why?” He growled, pulling back, eyes never leaving Zayn’s._

_“I’ll explain later,” Zayn answered, “Can you get it for me?”_

_Liam only hesitated for half a second before nodding._

_“Um…” He glanced around the room._

_“I’ve got it,” Zayn assured him, “Go.”_

_Liam nodded, heading for the door to the basement._

_Zayn turned to Aidan._

_“We need to figure out how the rogue got in, which side of the territory they breached. Can you and Niall check the West border? See if the scent of the rogue gets stronger as you head that way.”_

_Aidan nodded, motioning to Niall._

_“Nick, you and Jesy take the South?”_

_“Consider it covered,” Nick nodded._

_“Cara, you and Liam take the East side of the territory,” Zayn continued._

_“I’ll take the North,” Perrie volunteered._

_“No need. If none of the other borders have been breached, then the rogue must have crossed over from the North,” Zayn replied, “I need you to stay here with me and Dex. We can’t leave him unprotected.”_

_“Are you sure splitting up is a good idea?” Aidan began, “The Alphas said-”_

_“Look, we don’t have enough time to discuss this. The Alphas aren’t here right now and we’re all in danger. This is the only option we have.”_

_Aidan looked as if he wanted to argue but something in Zayn’s eyes must have convinced him for he shut his mouth and gave a reluctant nod._

_Liam returned with a set of cloth pouches. He handed one to every member of the pack._

_“Don’t touch it with your bare hands,” he warned them, “If you spot the rogue and it looks as if they’re going to attack you, open the pouch and throw it at them. It won’t hurt them much but it’ll slow them down enough for you to escape and signal for the rest of us.”_

_The Betas dispersed as Zayn had directed. Perrie watched on in curiosity as Liam slipped a small, black box into Zayn’s pocket._

_“I’m going to need a full explanation when this is over,” Liam said, voice stern._

_Zayn rolled his eyes but nodded._

_“And Z?” Liam pressed a kiss to the wolf’s mouth that took Zayn by surprise, “Watch your arse.”_

_“But I prefer watching yours,” Zayn grinned back, earning a chuckle from Liam._

_His tone was a bit more serious when he quietly added, “Li, I love you. Always have. Always will.”_

_Liam smiled._

_“I love you too.”_

_He pressed another kiss to Zayn’s lips before turning away and heading out the door. The moment Liam was far enough away, Perrie spoke._

_“It doesn’t really matter which border the rogue breached,” she said, softly, “And you know that. So why did you want to keep the others away from the Manor?”_

_Zayn took a deep breath._

_“Because I think the Manor will be attacked,” he said, voice low, “And the whole pack will be in danger if they stay here.”_

_Perrie frowned._

_“There’s strength in numbers-” she began but Zayn shook his head._

_“Not this time. Not for this enemy,” he stated, “Do you remember the battle Alpha Styles died in?”_

_Perrie nodded slowly, recalling Anne Styles leaving the Manor for the last time with her most loyal Betas behind her. ‘A suicide mission,’ someone had mumbled. ‘The only way to keep the rest of the pack safe,’ Anne had countered. Perrie remembered the way Anne had hugged the younger Betas, telling them they were the future of the pack and the way she had pressed a kiss to Harry’s head, reminding him that she would always be proud of him. They hadn’t understood it then but it had been her way of saying goodbye._

_“You think this enemy is powerful enough to wipe out our entire pack,” Perrie said with growing realisation._

_Zayn hesitated before nodding._

_“This is the only way to keep them safe,” he said, “But you have to know, what I’m asking you to do…it’s dangerous. I can’t guarantee we’ll come out of this alive so if you want to leave, I’d understand.”_

_Perrie stared at Zayn, who wore an aura of command almost as naturally as Louis and Harry did._

_“What about Dex?” She asked, looking at the toddler, whose eyes were puffy from all the crying. The child was still mumbling, “Dada” but he had quietened down, innately understanding that something was wrong._

_“He’ll be safe,” Zayn said, picking up the child, “It’s not him they’re after.”_

_“They? The rogue?”_

_Zayn didn’t answer._

_“Zayn, who is this enemy? What did you find out that you aren’t telling me?”_

_Another growl rang out, much closer this time._

_“I need to know, Perrie, can you follow my orders without asking for an explanation?” Zayn asked seriously, “Are you staying or going?”_

_Perrie glanced at the black box in his pocket, then at Dex, who was sniffling._

_“Of course I’m staying! Tell me what you need me to do,” she replied._  
  
* * *

The hospital was a miserable place in Cara’s opinion. It was a place of tears and frowns, of anxiety and anger and helplessness. Mrs. Malik, who had rushed to the hospital as soon as she had been informed of her son’s injury, was experiencing all of these emotions.

She sat just outside Zayn’s room, the cup of coffee Cara had gotten her steadily turning colder in her hands. She was staring at the floor, hardly hearing the words of support and optimism that Nick had been attempting to comfort her with for the last hour. 

Not even Niall, who usually had a permanent grin on his face could seem to muster up a smile. 

It didn’t help that they could sense the waves of grief Liam was emitting from where he huddled on the cold, plastic chair next to Zayn’s bed. Cara could tell that he was aching to hold Zayn, to soothe the pain away but the doctor had given them strict instructions to not disturb Zayn in any way. 

The wolf had already experienced too close a call with death. Even now, he was surrounded by machines that were helping him to stay alive, monitoring everything from his heart rate to his brain activity.

Zayn’s eyes were closed, his breathing shallow. His face was pale and the skin of his arm was punctured by several needles. Nick and Cara had had to physically restrain Liam while the nurse put them in.

 _A coma_. That was the official verdict. 

“His body’s trying to heal itself,” one of the doctors had told them, “How long that will take is impossible to predict.”

“But he _will_ heal, right?” Niall had asked.

“We can only hope,” had been the reply.

Liam had broken down when had he tried to reach for Zayn through the bond and gotten nothing in response. No emotions, no reassurance. 

“We’re doing everything we can,” the doctor who had seen Zayn informed Liam.

“Do _better_!” The wolf had snarled back.

Niall waited by Liam’s side, a silent companion who could offer little comfort under the circumstances. 

Jesy and Aidan were next door, sitting a similar vigil for Perrie. According to the doctors, she wasn’t in as bad a shape as Zayn but they still had her temporarily sedated to allow her body the time to recover.

Cara’s head shot up when she sensed the Alphas. 

“They’re here,” she whispered, knowing from the way Nick tilted his head that he had heard her, “What do we do? How do we tell them-?”

She cut herself off as Harry walked around the corner, his arm wrapped around his mate’s waist. Louis looked paler than usual, his posture portraying tiredness.

Mrs. Malik got up from her seat, her eyes focused on Harry. Before anyone could react, she grabbed Harry by the collar, ignoring Cara and Nick’s warning growl.

“What happened?” She asked, eyes molten with anger, “My son can’t be taken down this easily! What did they do to him?”

Harry shook his head, slowly.

“I wish I knew,” he said, “But I promise you, I will find out. Whoever hurt Zayn, they’ll pay for this.”

Mrs. Malik nodded, letting go of the wolf and casting a look back at Zayn’s room.

“He’s strong,” she said, softly, “I…I need to check in on the girls. Now that you’re both here…”

She trailed off when Louis nodded.

“We’ll keep an eye on him,” he told her.

She nodded back, walking past the Alphas and heading for the door.

“Is Zayn-?” Louis cut himself off when he saw the bedridden figure through the open door of the hospital room. 

He made a noise at the back of his throat and it seemed to be some kind of request that only Harry understood, for the wolf manoeuvred them past Nick and Cara, into the room. The Betas followed them inside, watching the way Louis’ throat worked as he caught sight of the injured wolf.

“Is he…?” Louis croaked out, looking younger than he had in years.

“He’s in a coma,” Nick answered, “We think the rogue Alpha attacked him. Liam’s the one who found him. He…he wasn’t breathing.”

“Liam did CPR,” Niall added, squeezing the Beta’s shoulder, “We got ‘em both to the hospital in time.”

“Alpha,” Liam’s voice was barely a whisper of request but it seemed to be enough to spur Louis into action.

He stepped away from Harry and reached for the Beta. Liam curled into Louis’ embrace, burying his head against the crook of Louis’ neck and letting out heart-wrenching sobs, his body shaking from them.

“He’ll be okay,” Louis whispered to Liam, holding it together remarkably well, “Zayn’s strong. He’ll pull through.”

 _He has to_ , Louis thought to himself.

“I should’ve been there,” Liam managed to say in between sobs, “I should’ve…I…”

“It’s not your fault love,” Louis murmured to the wolf, “We’ll find that rogue. I promise you, we’ll make them pay.”

Liam clung to his Alpha, letting Louis’ voice and scent soothe him.

“Nick, Cara,” Harry growled softly, drawing their attention to him, “I need to talk to you. Outside.”

He turned around and led the way. Cara and Nick followed, each trying to find a way to tell Harry exactly what had happened.

The wolf only waited until they were far enough away from the room so Liam wouldn’t be able to overhear before turning to them with flashing eyes.

“Did anyone see the rogue?” He growled.

Nick and Cara shook their heads.

“Zayn and Perrie were the only ones in the Manor when the attack happened,” Nick said.

Zayn was clearly not in a position to be able to reveal any information about the fight.

“Where’s Perrie?” Harry asked, “How is she?”

Cara nodded towards a room that was down the hall from Zayn’s.

“Jesy and Aidan are with her in case she wakes up soon. Her injuries have already healed.”

Harry nodded.

“Alpha, there’s something else we need to tell you.”

“In a minute,” Harry said, trying to figure out the best way to track the rogue down, “Louis unintentionally had this shield of protection set up around the territory. Based on what little I know of magic, it should have stopped anyone who wished the pack harm from entering our land. If we can figure out how the rogue got past that-”

“Alpha,” Nick said, quietly, “We _really_ need to tell you something.”

Harry paused, frowning at his Betas.

“What?” He watched them closely, noticing for the first time that there was a pale tinge to their faces, “Are you both alright?”

“Yes, we’re fine,” Nick said, quickly, “But…uh…maybe you should sit down for this.”

Before Harry could do anything, he heard the sound of running footsteps. Jay appeared around the corner, her hand clasping Louis’ and pulling him along.

The look on Louis’ face was one of terror.

“What is it? What’s wrong Lou?” Harry asked, pushing past Nick and Cara to reach for his mate.

“He wouldn’t tell me,” Jay explained, clearly concerned herself, “I went by to visit Zayn after my shift and Louis was there with Liam. He saw me, frowned and then he…”

Jay glanced at Louis, who seemed dazed.

“I’m not sure exactly what he did but he got this look in his eye.”

“Louis,” Harry took one of Louis’ hands as Jay let go, pulling the man closer to him, “Babe, please look at me.”

Louis’ gaze shifted to him, albeit with difficulty.

“What’s wrong, Lou?” Harry asked, quietly, pressing his forehead against the younger boy’s. 

Louis opened his mouth and, when Harry channeled into their bond, he felt a flood of fear run through it.

“One of the pack bonds,” Louis finally managed to whisper.

Harry pulled back to look at his mate, an anxious feeling hovering over him.

“What about the bonds?”

“That’s what we’ve been trying to tell you, Alpha,” Nick said, “You should both sit down before we-”

“Nick,” Cara interrupted quietly, nodding towards Louis, “I think he already knows.”

“Lou?” Harry asked, his gaze not leaving his mate.

“Dex- I can’t see his bond,” Louis croaked out, seeing his own fear reflected in Harry’s eyes, “He…he’s untraceable.”

* * *  
As no one wanted to leave Zayn and Perrie alone in the hospital, the emergency pack meeting was held in one of the waiting rooms.

Jay volunteered to stay in the hall in order to ensure no other staff member or person accidentally interrupted.

Once the pack were all seated (apart from Liam who had refused to leave Zayn’s side and who was too distraught to help either way), Louis curled into Harry’s lap, his head resting on the older wolf’s shoulder.

He was exhausted from having used his Numen powers more frequently than usual. Along with the tiredness he felt, there was also a feeling of shocked numbness. He couldn’t believe something had happened to Dex. He didn’t _want_ to believe it!

But it suddenly made sense why Nick had switched his phone off when Louis had tried to call him earlier. This was not the kind of news they wanted to break to Harry and Louis over the phone.

“What happened?” Harry growled, his frustration and worry evident in the way he gripped Louis’ waist, “Why can’t Louis sense my son’s pack bond anymore? Where is he?”

“We’re so sorry, Alpha,” Niall stammered out, “We tried…Zayn and Perrie were-”

“We don’t know the details of exactly what happened,” Nick interrupted, his age and experience enabling him to look less shaken from the events than the other Betas, “Zayn had us checking the borders to figure out where the rogue had entered the territory from. We were hoping to cut them off before they reached the house but halfway to the border, I heard a howl coming from the Manor. We doubled back but by the time we got there, the place was already a mess and the rogue was gone. We found Perrie lying outside, knocked out with claw marks along her collarbone. It looked like she’d been thrown through the window.”

“Liam found Zayn lying a few metres away from the North border,” Jesy continued, “We suspect that’s where the rogue escaped from.”

“And Dex?” Harry asked again, eyes flashing despite his attempts to stay calm.

“He was with Zayn and Perrie when we left because we thought the Manor would be the safest place for him,” Aidan said, quietly, “And he was gone by the time we got back.”

Louis made a noise that was almost a whimper. Harry drew him closer, struggling to hold back his own emotions at the thought of his son being in danger.

“We…we’re sorry for not telling you both sooner,” Jesy said, softly, “It wasn’t something we could say over the phone and we…were hoping we could find him before you got back.”

“While Jesy called for an ambulance, the rest of us tried to trace the rogue’s scent but it was impossible to pinpoint,” Nick continued, “We could only trace Dex’s up to the front door of the Manor. After that…it seemed to disappear.” 

“But there wasn’t any scent of blood or death,” Cara added softly.

Harry nodded, taking a deep breath. He understood what Cara was trying to say. Dex was missing, kidnapped by the rogue, but he wasn’t injured and he wasn’t dead. At least, not yet.

“We have to find him,” Louis said.

It was the first words he had spoken since telling Harry about Dex’s bond being missing.

“He’s probably terrified! He…” Louis trailed off, gripping Harry’s hand.

“We’ll find him, Lou,” the wolf promised, “We’ll get him back.”

“And the rogue Alpha?” Aidan asked, quietly.

“They’ll pay for this,” Harry growled.

“When we find the rogue,” Louis said, his tone low and deadly, “ _I_ want to deal with them.”

“Alpha-” Aidan began, undoubtedly to point out how dangerous that would be but he stopped when Louis’ eyes flashed golden.

“What do you reckon, Harry?” Louis asked, a low growl reverberating through his chest, “Think I could draw enough power from you to hurt a rogue Alpha?”

Harry couldn’t stop himself from pressing a kiss to Louis’ lips, the bond between them surging with power.

“You could draw enough power from me to _destroy_ a rogue,” Harry growled back, “And I want to be there to watch it.”

When Harry and Louis turned to face the Betas, the look in their eyes was a familiar one. It was a look Anne had sometimes worn before heading into battle. It was the look of retribution.

* * *

“You can’t all stay here for the night,” Jay pointed out to the stubborn Styles pack, “The hospital has rules and regulations about this.”

Liam didn’t say a word, just turned to bury his head against the crook of Louis’ neck.

“Liam’s staying,” Louis informed his mum, carding a hand through the Beta’s hair, “And so am I.”

“I’m staying with Perrie,” Jesy added.

“The Alphas said none of us can stay here alone so I’m gonna stay with Jesy,” Niall reasoned.

“Zayn and Perrie are pack, Mum,” Louis told Jay, seeing that she was about to protest, “We can’t just leave them on their own in a strange place.”

“And we don’t know how secure the place is,” Harry added, “It may be a hospital but I’d feel a lot better if we had pack members here to protect Perrie and Zayn until they recover.”

Jay sighed, knowing a lost battle when she saw one.

“Fine. I’ll tell the on-call nurse that four of you are staying but the rest of you,” she gave Harry and the other Betas a pointed look, “Go home and get some rest. You can’t protect anyone if you’re all exhausted!”

“We’ll take it in shifts then,” Harry said, sharing a look with Louis, “I’ll head to the Manor with Cara, Nick and Aidan. We’ll be back first thing in the morning.”

“Visitor hours only start at 10,” Jay reminded them.

Harry and Louis stared at her with raised eyebrows.

“Right,” Jay mumbled, “Just don’t get caught when you sneak in.”

She started to walk out of the room before pausing, gesturing to Harry and Louis.

“Can I talk to you both? Alone?”

They followed her outside.

“I just wanted to give you an update. From what I’ve heard, Perrie’s injuries were mostly superficial- a couple of big bruises, cut skin from where the glass pierced her, things like that. The injuries have mostly healed already so she could wake up anytime this week. Hopefully sooner rather than later.”

“And Zayn?” Louis asked, clutching Harry’s hand.

Jay bit her lip, shaking her head slowly.

“They’re…not sure what to expect. There’s still hope but going into a coma…it’s not a good sign. It means he’s injured badly enough that his body’s shut down some of his senses in order to heal itself.”

Louis didn’t realise he was shaking until Harry pulled him close, nuzzling his cheek.

“He’ll pull through,” Harry whispered the same words Louis had told Liam, “He’s strong.”

“I want to believe that,” Louis said, his voice trembling, “But with everything that’s happened- Zayn and Perrie being injured, the things we found out from the Aoki pack, Dex…”

He took a shaky breath at the thought of the toddler, alone and defenceless, with a rogue Alpha. Harry whined, tightening his arms around Louis without saying a word. There wasn’t much he could say. 

“Shouldn’t we be organising each parties to try and find Dex?” Jay asked, sounding accusatory without intending to.

Louis frowned at his mum, noticing the way Harry’s jaw tightened. The wolf was trying not to show how frustrated he was about being helpless in this situation. His instincts were screaming at him to go and find his son but he knew the Betas had already tried and that Dex’s scent was no longer traceable. Louis had tried as well, getting nothing more than a dull twinge whenever he tried to trace the toddler’s bond. It was as if there was a wall blocking the bond, preventing him from locating the child.

“We have no place to start until either Zayn or Perrie wake up,” Harry said slowly, “They’re the only ones who know what the kidnapper looks like. If we’re lucky, they might even remember the kidnapper’s scent.”

“And you’re not getting the police involved because?”

“Mum,” Louis cut across, “This isn’t something the police can help with.”

“Of course they can!” Jay insisted, not understanding that it wasn’t a straightforward kidnapping.

“No, they can’t,” Louis gritted out, “It’s too dangerous.”

“The police deal with danger every day,” Jay answered, “Surely they’re better trained for this than…than the pack?”

Louis knew it wasn’t entirely her fault; that she didn’t understand the complexity of the situation as they couldn’t tell her about the rogue. Still, it annoyed him that she was, unintentionally, making things worse. It was hard enough to lead the pack when all Louis and Harry could think about was what Dex might be going through. This interrogation wasn’t making things easier. 

“There’s an element of the supernatural involved,” Harry explained as much as he could without giving anything away, “Involving the police would only put them and Dex in harm’s way. The pack…we have ways of protecting ourselves.”

Only Louis heard the note of doubt in Harry’s words. Almost as if he wasn’t sure the pack could protect themselves against this rogue.

“I know this is considered…pack business,” Jay continued, not letting herself be dissuaded, “And maybe you have some kind of protocol for things like this but we’re talking about a child here! The police can help with kidnappings! I can call them if-”

“Mum, shut up!” Louis snapped, the stress and worry that had plagued him since Nick’s phone call hours ago coming to the fore, “You have no fucking idea what you’re talking about!”

He glanced over at Harry, who had tensed up.

“I need to…” Harry gestured towards the front doors of the hospital.

Louis watched him hurry off. When he turned back to his mum, she looked shocked and a little repentant.

“I didn’t mean to make either of you feel worse,” she said, softly, “I’m just worried about Dex.”

Louis pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I know,” he said after a moment, “We’re all worried about him but we can’t involve the police.”

“But-”

“This involves the _supernatural_ , Mum,” Louis pointed out, “It’s not something the police are equipped to deal with.”

“I still think-”

“Two of our Betas are seriously injured, the pack’s terrified and Dex is…” Louis cut himself off, aware at the anger in his voice, “Look, I appreciate your input but this is…we need to figure out the next step. We need time to plan as a pack.”

“And you don’t want me involved,” Jay surmised.

“I _can’t_ have you involved,” Louis corrected, “This situation involves a lot more than you know. I can’t bring you into it.”

“Because I’m not pack,” Jay smiled a little sadly, “I should be used to this by now, used to seeing my boy run off into dangerous situations I know nothing about.”

Louis shrugged. He wasn’t going to apologise for a rule that had been made to keep his mum safe.

Jay glanced in the direction Harry had left.

“Sometimes, I wonder what your life might have been like if you hadn’t met Harry all those years ago.”

It wasn’t said in a bitter way, more so musingly. 

“I would never want to find out,” Louis stated without missing a beat.

Jay nodded, slowly.

“No,” she said quietly, “I don’t think I would either. This is who you are. The pack…they’re a part of you. And you’re a part of them.”

She gave him a tired smile.

“I might overstep sometimes, I might not get what being a member of a werewolf pack means but I need you to know that I care about your pack members. And I’m proud of you, Louis. I’m proud of the person you’ve grown to be. If there’s anything I can do, any way in which I can help-”

“We’ll let you know,” Louis promised before pointing in the direction Harry had gone.

“I’m gonna…”

Jay nodded, watching her son walk away. She might not have understood the intricacies of the pack but she knew love when she saw it.

* * * 

“I’m sorry, Lou,” Harry murmured as Louis came to stand beside him, their arms brushing.

“What for?” Louis asked with a frown.

“My…mood,” Harry answered, “It’s…all this anger and frustration I’m feeling..it’s trickling through the bond. If my reaction’s setting off yours-”

“Believe it or not, Harry, not everything I do is connected to you!” Louis snapped, stepping away from the wolf, “I’m entitled to get angry once in a fucking while! You don’t get to apologise for me or to me every time I feel emotions!”

Harry started to reach out for him then stopped, nodding.

“Okay,” Harry said, softly.

“Okay?!”

And fuck! He was supposed to be angry so why the hell were his eyes getting wet?!

“You’re right,” Harry nodded, “I’m not the only one going through a hard time. We all miss Dex. We’re all worried about Zayn and Perrie.”

When the wolf reached for him this time, Louis let himself be pulled closer. Close enough that Louis could rest his head against the Alpha’s shoulder and bury his face in Harry’s neck. 

“You’ve been holding it together so fucking well,” Harry whispered against his hair, a hand carding through his short locks, “You’ve been holding the whole pack together, me included. That doesn’t mean you have to be strong all the time, Lou. We’re a pack. We fight together as a unit. We’re here for you to lean on. Every single member of this pack has leant on you and you’ve always been there for us. Now let us be here for you.”

Louis hoped the rest of the pack couldn’t hear him crying. He pressed closer to Harry, muffling his sobs against the wolf’s shirt collar. It felt like hours but was probably only minutes later when Louis finally felt calm enough to talk.

“I’m just angry.”

“At me?” Harry asked, after a brief pause.

The words and slight edge of panic in the Alpha’s voice almost made Louis smile.

“No,” he sniffed, pulling back and wiping his eyes, “At myself mostly. I should have stayed here. You said you would go alone and I _insisted_ -”

“None of this is your fault,” Harry interrupted, a growl of command in his voice, “If anything, _I_ should have put off the trip. I thought getting my memories back would help me to figure out who the rogue was. I thought-”

“The rogue was someone from your past,” Louis finished Harry’s thought, his eyes widening with realisation, “You think you’re the reason the pack’s in danger.”

Harry shrugged, pushing his hair back with a sigh.

“I don’t know what to think,” he finally said, “I left you and the pack to be a dad and now all I have are flashes of half-forgotten memories. I have no idea what the hell happened to me during those two years. I could have pissed someone off or gotten involved with something dangerous…I just…I don’t know! This rogue…they might be the one I was running from. I thought if I could remember it all, I could put myself in a better position to protect the pack but all it did was make everything worse. And now Dex…god, Dex…”

“You did it to protect him,” Louis reminded the wolf, gently, “You wanted your memories back so you could keep him safe.”

“We both wanted to protect him,” Harry said, “Hell, you even kept a shield of protection around the territory!”

Louis frowned.

“I did,” he said, slowly, tracing his magic in his mind, “And it’s still there; intact. I thought it would stop any kind of danger from entering the territory. Isn’t that what a shield of protection does?” 

Harry gave him a sad smile.

“I’m the wrong person to ask. My knowledge about magic is limited,” he said, “All I can think about right now is how we could have prevented this but honestly, even if we had been here, I’m not sure how much more we could have done. Zayn’s the strongest wolf we have. If he couldn’t fend the rogue off…”

Louis frowned.

“Zayn’s not the strongest. Liam’s second-in-command,” he pointed out, “I thought that role always went to the strongest Beta.”

Harry glanced away, a look of guilt coating his face.

“There’s…um, something I haven’t told you,” the wolf said, quietly, “Something I haven’t told anyone. Not even Liam. He would never have accepted the role if he had found out.”

“Found out what?” Louis asked, grabbing the wolf’s arm and forcing him to look at him, “What haven’t you told me?”

“The day I got the news about my mum’s death…the day the older members of the pack decided to leave…”

Louis nodded in understanding. Harry was referring to the battle where Anne and a handful of other members had met their ends. The remaining members had the choice to stay in the pack that was now led by Anne’s son or to leave. Many of the older Betas had, unfortunately, chosen to leave, uncomfortable at being led by a wolf they would always see as their Alpha’s young child.

“The first thing I had to do was find a replacement for the second-in-command,” Harry continued, “I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry but the responsibilities of an Alpha had been drummed into me since I was a pup. So I went to talk to him, to my…my chosen Beta.”

 

__

_He was standing by the tree, a lone figure with his eyes trailed on the ground and a cigarette dangling from his fingers._

_Harry was about to clear his throat to alert him of his presence but he saw the Beta glance up, clearly having heard him already. It only solidified the fact that Harry had made the right choice. A choice that his mum would have agreed on._

_“Your dad’s?” Harry asked, nodding towards the cigarette._

_The wolf shrugged, throwing it on the ground and stubbing it out._

_“Found it in his room. You doing okay?”_

_Harry blinked at the words. Was he doing okay? Louis had been the only other pack member to ask him that; the only one who saw beyond the role of ‘Alpha’ he had suddenly been thrust with._

_“Is anyone doing okay?” Harry asked back._

_Zayn gave him a wry smile._

_“Some better than others,” he replied, glancing towards the Manor where the rest of the pack were, “Liam’s not taking it well. His uncle…he wasn’t prepared to lose him like that. He was the last living family member he had.”_

_Harry nodded. None of them had been prepared. The loss was still fresh for them all._

_“And Perrie,” Zayn sighed, “She hasn’t cried yet but it’s only a matter of time. Her mum was her rock.”_

_Harry nodded._

_“Louis’ staying with her,” he said, softly, “He’s the only one she’s willing to talk to right now. I think, this time, we lost more lives than we saved. She’s not the only one who has lost a parent.”_

_Zayn looked up at him._

_“Alpha Styles made the right call, you know,” he said, eyes staying on Harry, “Choosing to take the fight to the enemy. If she hadn’t, none of us would be here today.”_

_“She sacrificed a lot of lives for it. Too many,” Harry said, feeling the guilt roll through him as if he had made that decision._

_“She did what she had to do,” Zayn answered, “She asked for volunteers to go with her. She explained just how dangerous the mission was. Every single wolf that accompanied her knew they might not make it back. When you have that many pack members willing to follow you into battle? That’s the mark of a good Alpha.”_

_“It’s a lot to live up to,” Harry mumbled, looking away._

_He felt a hand land on his shoulder, a soft squeeze of reassurance._

_“You’re an idiot if you don’t think that every single member of this pack that’s here today would follow you into battle without a second thought,” Zayn said._

_Harry glanced at the Beta._

_“And what about those that left?”_

_Zayn’s eyes grew hard._

_“We’re better off without them,” he said._

_“Before…when I said Perrie’s not the only one to lose a parent…I wasn’t just talking about the wolves that died. Your dad-”_

_Zayn scoffed, crushing the cigarette into the dirt with the toe of his boot._

_“My dad made the choice to leave the pack,” he said, a bitter undertone in the words, “I chose to stay. Trust me. I’m not spilling any tears over him. It was fucking selfish of him to leave you without a second-in-command though.”_

_Harry hummed quietly, looking at the pack house in the distance._

_“You know what I’m going to ask you,” he said, quietly._

_Zayn sighed._

_“I know. But I can’t.”_

_“Zayn, you’re the strongest wolf we have. You’ve been with me since we were pups. You know how I fight, my weaknesses, my strengths. You’re the only one-”_

_“Liam’s the best wolf for the role,” Zayn interrupted, holding up a hand before Harry could interrupt again, “I know what you’re going to say. I’m physically the strongest, the fastest but Liam’s got heart. He’s got passion and loyalty and it’s not fucking fair that he’s lost everything!”_

_Zayn closed his eyes and took a deep breath, calming himself down._

_“He deserves this role. He…he needs a sense of purpose or I…fuck, I don’t know what he’ll do!”_

_Zayn ran a hand through his hair._

_“And he’d be great at it,” he continued, “He’s much more organised than me, better at anticipating everyone’s needs. He knows you as well as I do! He’s got all the qualities you need for a second-in-command.”_

_“Zayn,” Harry said slowly, “Liam’s great but he doesn’t have the training for it. Your dad held the position when my mum was in charge. I know he trained you for it as well.”_

_“ _I’ll_ train Liam then!” Zayn said, “Just…don’t tell him that’s what I’m doing. He’d never agree to take the position if he realised that I’m supposed to do it.”_

_“I get that you care about Liam,” Harry said, slowly, not wanting Zayn to get defensive about his yet-to-be-confessed feelings regarding the other Beta, “But as your Alpha, I have to urge you to-”_

_“You want me to acknowledge you as my Alpha?” Zayn stood up straight, turning to look Harry in the eye, “Then make Liam the second-in-command.”_

_Harry flashed his eyes at the wolf._

_“Are you threatening to leave the pack?”_

_Zayn opened his mouth, then closed it again, breaking eye contact to stare at the ground. It was an apology of sorts for disrespecting Harry’s position._

_“No,” Zayn whispered, “I told you. I made my choice and I’m not my dad. I just can’t…we’ve lost so many people. We can’t lose Liam too.”_

_Harry sighed._

_“Fine. I’ll officially offer him the position and I want you to train him during the weekly practices,” he said, grinning a little at the way Zayn’s face lit up._

_“Thanks,” Zayn replied, turning to head towards the Manor._

_“Oh, and Zayn? Liam has the official title but unofficially…” he trailed off, knowing Zayn understood._

_“I’ll keep an eye on things, Alpha,” he promised, “And I’ll take over if the situation calls for it.”_

__

“So Zayn was…him and Liam shared the position of second-in-command?” Louis asked, eyes wide.

“In a way. In every pack, there are some Betas who are more naturally suited to certain roles. Zayn had the instinctual ability for it. It’s what he was destined to be,” Harry explained, “When Liam took on the role, it didn’t erase that. Zayn still has and will always have the qualities of the second-in-command. He’ll always have that power. If he wanted to, he could overrule Liam and there would be nothing he could do about it.”

“In the pack hierarchy, Zayn’s higher than Liam then?” Louis clarified. 

Harry nodded.

“Like I said, it’s an instinctual thing. Zayn’s background, his genes, his personality…they give him that status. He doesn’t acknowledge it and the other Betas aren’t consciously aware of it but if you pay close attention, you can see that they sometimes defer to him; that he can convince them to do things his way if he needs to. Liam has the title because Zayn wanted him to have it but over the years, I’ve come to regard Liam as Zayn’s equal in every way. He’s grown into the role in ways I didn’t expect and I’ve never regretted giving it to him. The only difference is, even now, Liam has to work hard to carry out the role while it comes far more naturally to Zayn.”

Louis nodded, slowly.

“You said Zayn was the strongest wolf in the pack…stronger than you?”

“We’re pretty evenly matched,” Harry confessed, “Before I took over as Alpha, he was the only one who could beat me in a fight. I have no doubt he still could. Sometimes I think he lets me win just so I don’t lose my confidence.”

“But how’s that possible?” Louis asked, “You’re an Alpha and he’s a Beta. How could he possibly be as physically strong as you?”

“His lineage,” Harry shook his head, “It’s not my story to tell but he comes from…a unique background.” 

Louis frowned. As far as he knew, Zayn’s mum was human and his dad was a Beta werewolf. 

“Why are you telling me all this now?”

Harry sighed.

“Because you shouldn’t feel guilty about leaving Dex. Neither of us could have fought any better than Zayn. Dex was with the wolf that could protect him the best.”

“And the rogue still got him,” Louis whispered, “That means-”

“It means we’re looking at a powerful threat,” Harry said, eyes flashing, “We’re facing an enemy who’s more dangerous than any we’ve seen or faced before.”

Louis’ phone rang, interrupting the conversation.

“It’s Alpha Corden,” Louis said, answering.

“I just ran the tests and you were both right. It’s definitely a poison,” James sounded excited, “But you’ll never guess what type of poison it is!”

Before Louis could attempt to guess, James carried on.

“Lycontinum,” he said, sounding almost impressed, “The purest form of wolfsbane. It comes in a liquid form and extracting it without contaminating it is close to impossible. Only vampires have the speed and ability to produce it.”

“Vampires,” Harry murmured to himself, a frown on his face.

“So it’s not an easily accessible poison?” Louis asked

“Not at all,” James replied, “It’s more potent than wolfsbane. As far as I know, it’s only available on the black market, sold by member of vampire covens.”

“How much would it cost?” Harry asked, knowing James could hear him.

“It doesn’t have the kind of price you’re thinking of,” James replied, “Vampires have no use for money. The only thing they trade for is-”

“Blood,” Louis remembered from his childhood fascination with the creatures, “So all you have to do is go to a vampire and offer them your blood in exchange for this?”

“Not just any blood,” James said, his voice dropping to a whisper, “In order to obtain something as exotic as Lycontinum, they would need the blood of a rare being.”

Harry massaged his temples.

“Okay,” he sighed, “So the rogue Alpha is working with some supernatural being who is rare enough to be coveted by vampires.” 

“The rogue obtains the lycontinum, applies it to their claws and attacks Zayn and Perrie with it to weaken them. Their healing would have slowed down the moment it came into contact with their skin,” Louis murmured, taking a deep breath. 

The thought of Zayn and Perrie getting injured in such a way was horrible to think about!

“Does Lycontinum only affect werewolves?” Harry asked.

“It has the strongest effect on werewolves,” James answered, “But it can weaken any supernatural creature if it comes into direct contact with their skin.”

Harry frowned, his eyes thoughtful.

“I guess that would explain Zayn going into a coma,” Louis said.

“Coma?” James’ voice came through the phone, “Lycontinum can significantly weaken a werewolf, even temporarily knock one out. It slows down healing time but, on its own, it wouldn’t be anywhere near enough to send a wolf into a coma.”

Harry frown got deeper.

“What? What does that mean?” Louis asked.

“It means there’s more to the story than we know,” Harry said, slowly, “It means Zayn wasn’t just attacked with the poison. He was attacked with something else as well; something far more powerful.”

Louis thanked Alpha Corden for his help before hanging up the phone.

“I’m scared, Harry,” he confessed, knowing the wolf felt the same way, “If this rogue still has the poison, Dex-”

“Won’t be affected,” Harry reminded him, “He’s human, babe. It won’t hurt him.”

“How do we find him?” Louis asked, out of ideas.

“We have to wait for Zayn or Perrie to wake up,” Harry said, dejectedly, “All we can do until we know more is take greater precautions. I don’t want any member of the pack going anywhere alone. The loo, the cafeteria, the Manor; wherever it is you need to go, everyone has to travel in pairs at the very least.”

Harry hesitated before adding, “My mum used to keep some weapons in the basement. I’ll grab them tonight. There should be enough for the whole pack.”

“You think the rogue will be back then?” Louis asked, knowing Harry wouldn’t be arming the pack if he didn’t think they were in imminent danger.

“I think the rogue didn’t just take Dex on the spur of a moment. If they took the time to acquire a rare poison then it was pre-planned, down to the smallest detail, which means there’s something this Alpha wants from us. They’ll be back to negotiate for it,” Harry replied, “But that’s not the only threat. The serial killer’s still on the loose and until we’re sure they’re not near our territory, it’s better to stay prepared.”

Louis nodded.

“I have this feeling,” he said, softly, “That we’re missing something. Something big. Something important.”

“Then we keep finding the pieces and fitting them together until we get the whole picture,” Harry told him, “I’m going to head back to the Manor with the others. You sure you’ll be alright staying here overnight?”

“I’ve got Liam, Niall and Jesy with me,” Louis reassured him, “I’ll be fine.”

* * *  
Grey eyes filled with anger. Grey eyes calculating their next move. 

_I will get what’s mine!_

Louis woke up with a start, the eyes that had haunted his nightmares taking a while to fade from his mind.

“Alpha?”

Liam was standing by his chair, a look of concern on his face.

“You were screaming. Are you-?”

“I’m fine,” Louis replied, shaking his head to clear the last remnants of the dream, “Just nightmares again.” 

A quick glance at the bed showed that Zayn was in the same condition as he had been the day before.

“What time is it?” Louis asked with a yawn.

“Six in the morning,” Liam said, keeping his voice low, “Alpha, there’s something I forgot to tell you yesterday. I was so upset about Zayn that I could hardly think straight-”

“You don’t need to explain it, Liam,” Louis told the Beta, “Your mate’s been injured. It’s only natural.”

“But I should have told you. It might be important,” Liam said, sounding annoyed at himself, “Before Zayn…before we dispersed to check the borders, Zayn asked me to get him a weapon.”

Louis raised an eyebrow.

“Like a gun?”

Liam shook his head.

“No. He wanted…he asked me to get him a box he kept hidden in the basement. It was a small box, only about the size of his palm. I don’t know what was in it. I never checked.”

Louis frowned.

“Maybe it was wolfsbane?”

Liam shook his head.

“No, he also had wolfsbane with him. All I know is, he got this box delivered to the Manor the night before our bonding. Someone rang the doorbell while we were there and I went to answer it but all I found was this box with a note on it.”

“What did the note say?” Louis asked.

“Um…” Liam frowned, trying to remember the exact words, “Something like, ‘Just in case. Be careful. Not even you’re invincible’. I thought it was someone threatening him but he said it was from family. I didn’t probe too much and he never told me much about it except that it had to do with his…um…research into Dex.”

Louis knew his eyebrows had climbed up his forehead.

Liam winced, sensing Louis’ disapproval.

“I tried to talk him out of it but you know Zayn! He just…he wanted to figure out why Dex had your scent. He’s been compiling research around it. The night of our bonding, when we stayed at the Manor…we heard a noise in the middle of the night. So Zayn went downstairs to check it out and the only thing he could find out of the ordinary was that his research file had been laid out on the library table. He was certain he’d put it away.”

“You’re thinking someone was in the Manor that night?” Louis asked, quietly, “That someone was looking through his research?”

Liam shrugged.

“I’m not sure. Zayn thought so but I told him he was being paranoid. Still, I thought about telling you the next day before you left for London but Zayn didn’t want you knowing about his research. He said he needed to clear up a few more things before he could give anyone a proper explanation.”

“And where’s this research now?”

“Somewhere in the Manor’s library,” Liam said, the words sending a jolt of worry through Louis, “Zayn never told me exactly where he kept it but I know it was somewhere in that room. It’s in a brown folder.”

“The Manor’s library was ransacked,” Louis whispered, watching the way Liam’s eyes widened, the same realisation entering them, “I think the rogue might have been looking for his research.”

“But why?” Liam asked, “Why would they want that?”

Louis shook his head.

“That’s what we need to figure out,” he murmured. 

He was about to ask another question when the door to Zayn’s hospital room burst open.

“Alpha!” Niall stood there, his eyes looking brighter than they had yesterday, “It’s Perrie. She’s awake!”

“Call Harry,” Louis told Liam as he stood up, “Let’s hope Perrie can give us some answers.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled a tad with writing this chapter. The next one, which is already in the process of being written, will be a bit more exciting and (hopefully) more put together :) xx
> 
> **  
> A quick note for those who are wondering what's happening with this story: I am trying to get the whole thing written before posting any more chapters as that way, I can give you faster updates. Unfortunately, I can't tell you exactly when I'll finish writing it but I give you my word that this fic WILL be completed!**
> 
> **Those that follow me on Tumblr may have noticed that I deleted my blog (I'm taking a break from social media and I wasn't using it as much as I used to) but thank you to all those who sent me messages of support and encouragement on there. I truly appreciate it all! I hope to share the rest of this fic with you soon! <3 xx  
> **
> 
> _P.S. I'm loving the theories and guesses in the comments! :) xx_

**Author's Note:**

> (Waits hopefully for approval!)  
>  **You can find me on[Tumblr](http://mysticbelievexx.tumblr.com) **


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